The Chaos Complexion
by Homely
Summary: Hinata was in love with Naruto, who was in love with Sakura, who was in love with Sasuke, who was in love with himself. After Ino invites them all to her annual party, things get hectic when alcohol gets involved. Subsequently, they all begin to wonder how they will survive the rest of the year. SasuHina with NaruSaku. A highschool story just for funsies.
1. Chaotic Beginnings

**The Chaos Complexion**

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><p>Hinata had always secretly admired Naruto, but she knew nothing about his best friend Sasuke, other than that he was a total asshole. Naruto had been in love with Sakura since childhood, but he was stuck in the 'friend zone', while she continued to pursue a love that would never happen. After Ino convinces them all to come to her party, things get hectic when alcohol gets involved. Subsequently, they all begin to wonder how they will survive the rest of the year.<p>

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><p><em><strong>chapter one; <strong>chaotic beginnings  
><em>

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><p>"So," The teacher began, clasping his hands as he leaned forward in the chair, resting his elbows on his knees. "anyone care to explain how this all began?"<p>

The four teenagers, who sat before him, all averted his gruesome gaze. Though he wore a mask to conceal half of his face, his eyes still tore holes through their skin, and they could _feel _the grimace that hid beneath that black cloth.

"Any takers?" He spoke again, his voice nonchalant, receiving an awkward look from the two girls, and a frown from the boys.

"It was him." Said the raven haired boy, sending daggers to his blonde 'friend'.

"No, it was _you, _idiot!" He retorted.

"Sasuke had nothing to do with this!" The pink-haired girl exclaimed, pointing a strong finger into the blonde's chest. "It was _you, _Naruto-baka!"

"N-No!" The dark-haired girl finally peeped. "S-Sakura, leave Naruto out of this! H-He didn't start it!"

"You're right, _Hinata__._" Sakura said sarcastically, turning a glare to the girl. "_You _started this. If you hadn't tangled with Sasuke, than this-"

"Shut up, Sakura." Sasuke cut her off. "Hinata did nothing, you're just jealous and vindictive."

"B-But S-Sasuke-"

"Hey asshole, don't talk to Sakura like that!" Naruto bellowed, jolting to his feet, sending crumbs from the previous food fight to the floor.

"Fucking make me." Sasuke taunted, also standing to his feet. The two stood forehead to forehead, ready to pounce at each other once again, only this time using their fists and not their lunch.

"Enough!" A horrendously loud voice bellowed through the cafeteria, sending shivers of fear through each spine; even the teacher, Mr. Hatake, couldn't help but shudder. Principle Tsunade stood in the entrance of the large room, wearing an expression that even lions would flee from. The older woman took in the appearance of the room; a cornucopia of colours shrouded the walls of her usually well-kept cafeteria; food of all different forms painted a hideous mural before her eyes.

When her enraged orbs landed on the teens responsible, a volcano may have erupted.

"Alright," the woman spoke, walking towards them with her hands on her hips. "lets try this again. It's only three months in the semester and I've had more trouble from you four than I've ever had before in such a short amount of time, since the very dawn of my teaching career. How the _hell _did this all begin?"

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><p><strong><em>3 months ago<em>**

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><p><em>"Aaaaaccchooo!"<em>

Every head in the room wound around to have their eyes fall upon he girl at the back of the room. Hinata's face instantly lit up like a red christmas light.

Of course this would happen, with her luck and all. The first day back at school, after a terrible summer, and it just so happened for her to be sitting behind her crush, Naruto Uzumaki.

The blonde haired boy turned around with a goofy grin on his face and was the first to laugh. "Haha, nice sneeze, Hinata!" He chuckled innocently.

It was sought impossible, but somehow, her face turned redder than before.

"Shut up, idiot!" Sakura whispered harshly, elbowing Naruto in his side.

"H-Hey!" He yelped, clasping where she struck. "What was that for?"

"Don't be so mean." She warned.

"It was just a joke!"

"So not funny!"

"S-Sakura, i-it's okay..." Hinata peeped nervously, pointing her index fingers together, much as she always did in utterly awkward situations.

"He needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut." Sakura spoke, turning back to her friend. "But seriously, don't be embarrassed, Hinata. It's totally fine."

"I-It's so not fine! Who sneezes _that_ loud during quiet study on the first day of school?"

Being skittish and shy by nature, the Hyuga girl was feeling totally humiliated. And to make matters worse... Well, she would never forget the first words Sasuke Uchiha ever spoke to her.

"Shut up." The dark haired boy said, and now it was Sakura's turn to be red.

"S-Sorry, Sasuke..." She said quietly, averting his stone cold glare.

Naruto turned his body to face them. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Be quiet." Sasuke repeated. "I'm trying to read, and you're all being annoying."

"What?" Naruto exclaimed. "How am I being annoying? I said one thing!"

"Hn." Sasuke muttered. "Just shut up."

"You four at the back." The teacher's voice echoed, once again bringing unwanted attention to the back of the room. "Care to explain why you're speaking during quiet study?"

"Sasuke was just being a dick again, Mr. Hatake." Naruto said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Fuck off, Naruto, if you three hadn't been nonchalantly chatting then my reading would not have been interrupted."

"Oh, great." The teacher sighed in irritation. "Do you people really think I'm going to let you openly talk like that in my class?"

"Um, wait, Mr. Hatake," Sakura said, "don't get them in trouble. I was talking, I won't speak again."

"You were all talking." Sasuke said with an evil smirk.

"And you were too, Sasuke." Mr. Hatake replied, receiving a glare from the Uchiha. "Look, it's the first day, and believe it or not, I'm a pretty busy guy. I'm just going to give you all a fifteen minute detention after school and leave it at that."

"B-But Mr-" They all spoke, but were dismissed by a wave of his hand.

"Enough. After school, room 115, you'll be there. All four of you."

"T-That is so not fair!" Sasuke shouted, standing to his feet. "I have a job interview at four that I can't be late for!"

"Well, it's a good thing that school ends at 2:45. You'll have plenty of time. Perhaps next time, you'll learn to behave yourself."

Sasuke quieted up after that and sat in his desk, exchanging glares with Naruto. Sakura was simply pissed off, whereas Hinata was trembling in her shoes.

_D-Detention? M-Me? How could this happen? _The girl's mind was racing. Being known as the _goody two-shoes _throughout her entire highschool career, someone like Hinata Hyuga had never been sentenced to a detention; not once. And now, all she could think about was how her father was going to react if he found out about it.

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><p>Hinata spent the rest of her day much as she always would; sitting there quietly, feeling awkward, embarrassing herself... The usual. She was nervous all day for that detention, and it could not have come any slower.<p>

_This is all that Sasuke guys fault..._ Hinata thought. _He was so mean to Naruto... Wait no, nevermind, that's just silly. It was my fault for sneezing... I sounded like a fucking dinosaur..._

Hinata knew very well who Sasuke Uchiha was; he was Naruto's best friend, and Sakura's crush of many years. However, in Hinata's eyes, all she could ever see was a cold boy who didn't care about anyone but himself.

Hinata kept her eyes glued to the floor as she entered the fabled room 115; she'd never stepped foot inside before. There was a familiar looking group of kids at the back who were commonly known as the schools delinquents; they eyed her like a fresh piece of meat as she took a spot at the very front of the room. It wasn't long after that when Sakura wandered in and grabbed a seat beside her, followed by Naruto and Sasuke. The two boys still couldn't help but eye each other with annoyance.

The detention wasn't as bad as Hinata had expected; they all simply sat there in silence until it hit the fifteen minute mark, where they were dismissed. Once in the hallway, the four of them faced each other in a circle.

"Well thanks for wasting my time, guys." Sasuke said, looking at Naruto.

"Whatever man, you were just as responsible." The blonde brushed it off.

"Well, regardless of whoever's fault it is, we got it over with." Sakura said. "I just hope they don't call home..."

"Y-Yeah..." Hinata peeped. The group heard the familiar clack of high heels on the floor, and all four of them knew who it was already; Ino Yamanaka, student body president, of course.

"Hey guys!" The jubilant blonde smiled. "So, how was everyone's first day back?"

"Shitty." Sasuke muttered.

"Sasuke, you're always such a Debbie downer." Ino pouted, before shoving a piece of paper in his hand. "Maybe this will cheer you up!" She proceeded to hand them all a copy of the same piece of paper. "It's that time of year again; my parents are going on vacation, and I'm throwing the annual Yamanaka beginning of school party! I assume you're all be there." Her falsely sweet expression melted into utter seriousness.

"U-Uh yeah, whatever Ino." Naruto laughed, shoving the paper in his pocket. "Sounds like a blast."

"Sweet!" She jumped eccentrically. "You all know where I live. Just remember, better behave yourselves." The blonde girl sent daggers in the direction of Sakura, recalling how the girl had ruined the party last year in Ino's eyes. In reality, Sakura had helped hold Ino's hair back while she vomited. Somehow, Ino found a way to blame the puke on the fast food the ex-best friend's had purchased before the party. With one more flash of her white teeth, the student body president sped down the hall.

Sakura glowered at her retreating figure. "I'm surprised I even got an invite. She hasn't spoken to me in months... Anyway, are you guys actually going?" She asked with a sudden glimmer of stars in her eyes, looking past Naruto and straight to Sasuke.

"Hn." He mumbled. "Undecided."

"Yeah, I guess." Naruto said. "Everyone's gonna be there, and I wouldn't mind having another chance to trash Ino's parent's beautiful mansion." The blonde had a mischievous smirk plastered across his lips.

Sakura and Hinata exchanged glances. "Well, we will definitely be there. Right, Hina?"

"Um, if my d-dad finds out about the detention, I'll be grounded for at least a month..." She fiddled with her fingers, avoiding everyone's looming eyes.

"Fuck that." Sasuke said, his dark eyes falling on her for the first time. "You're in senior year. What kind of senior still gets grounded?"

"M-My father is very strict..." The girl answered quietly, not taking his rude tone lightly.

"Anyway, I have an interview to get to." Sasuke, as always, sounded unenthused. Hinata wondered how the hell a guy like him could get a job with that attitude. "Later." And with a leisurely wave of his hand, he was gone down the hall. Sakura stared after him and childishly swooned.

"I'll definitely go if Sasuke is going..."

Naruto rolled his eyes and looked to Hinata. "Well, hopefully you don't get grounded, Hinata." He smiled, instantly making her blush. Hinata was always the most nervous around Naruto, and had been since the moment she laid eyes on him in their eighth grade class. She would never forget the way his brash, out-spoken personality filled the room with a joyous atmosphere. It was difficult for most people not to laugh or smile around him, which made Hinata wonder even more how him and Sasuke Uchiha were even friends.

"U-Um, thanks, Naruto." The girl peeped after a moment of her mind racing. "I hope I don't either."

"Hey, Hinata." Sakura said. "Don't you have work at 4:30?"

"O-Oh!" The dark-haired girl exclaimed. "Yes, I better get going. Bye!" And she skittishly ran down the hall, making a quick exit out the door. _I'm so stupid! _She thought as she sped down the street. _Naruto must think I'm a total idiot, he could definitely never like me. _She stopped herself then, taking a moment to catch her breath. _No, no negative thoughts. I have more important things to worry about now, like getting to work on time..._

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><p>Hinata was a waitress at a popular restaurant called <em>The Chopstick House. <em>Despite her shy personality, she was considered one of their best waitresses by her boss; apparently, people found her shy nature cute and relaxing, as she'd been told by customers before.

Ino also worked there. Hinata wouldn't dare say it out loud, but she thought it was hilarious how she made more money in tips than the jubilant blonde. She was able to make it in on time, thankfully; the only thing that made her more nervous than Naruto was her boss, who didn't appreciate any employees being late.

"Hinata, you just made it." Kurenai smiled as the girl walked in. Her boss was really a very kindhearted woman, just completely terrifying when enraged. Hinata was late one time and had to face that wrath. _Never again, _she shuttered, recalling how awful she had felt. Shrugging that off, she smiled sweetly to her boss and went to the back to drop off her purse and jacket. Near the back of the kitchen, there was an office for the staff, and just outside of the door were the lockers. Inconveniently enough, her locker was on one of the lower shelves, so she had to bend over to put away her things.

In her peripheral version, she was certain that she felt a pair of eyes on her. Instinctively, she glanced over, to see none other than Sasuke Uchiha walking with Asuma, Kurenai's husband. The Uchiha had stared at her, but looked away in shock upon recognizing her face.

_Was he staring at my..._

"Hinata, hurry up!" Kurenai's voice shouted. The girl eccentrically closed her locker and sped to the dining area. "That couple over there has yet to be served." Kurenai said. "Grab some utensils and head over there, will ya?"

"O-Of course!" As she went over to the rack to grab some forks and knives, she couldn't help but eavesdrop just a little.

"So, how'd the interview go, honey?" Kurenai asked Asuma.

"Great, he seems like an intelligent kid. I'm definitely hiring him."

For a moment, Hinata sweat dropped. _I'm gonna be working with that guy? _

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><p>"Maybe we should go visit Hinata at work." Sakura mused as her and Naruto walked through the mall. "It is only just upstairs."<p>

"You wanna go grab a bite to eat there?" He asked, a tinge of hopefulness in his blue orbs.

"Nah, let's just go say hi. I wouldn't want Hinata to think that you and I are on a date."

"Aww, why not?" He groaned. "Maybe we _could _go on a date."

"No way!" Sakura giggled, naturally assuming it as a joke. She wasn't able to see the slightly irked look on the face of the blonde. "On a serious note, I think you should ask Hinata out, Naruto."

"Eh, I dunno about that. She's really shy around me. I doubt she would say yes."

"You're joking, right? You know how much she likes you."

"Yeah, you've told me, but..." He awkwardly scratched his head. Sakura had been pushing him to ask Hinata out for a long time, and he was running out of excuses. Really, he was trying to avoid having to tell Sakura that he liked _her_ in a situation like that.

"I know she can be a bit hard to talk to sometimes." Sakura continued. "But once you get talking to her, Hinata is actually really smart and has a lot of interesting things to say. Your personalities might clash, but opposites attract, right?"

"I like Hinata, I just don't know about dating her..."

"How do you know?"

Naruto sighed. Sakura was so difficult, and when it came to her (and only her) he was easy to defeat. "Maybe."

Her head snapped to him. "Maybe?"

"Maybe."

"It would make me really happy to see you guys get together." She beamed, unaware of the sinking feeling she'd just imprinted in his chest. "And if you and Hinata dated, and if Sasuke and I finally get together, then it would be perfect!"

And the Titantic essentially sunk to the bottom of Naruto's chest. "Yeah, maybe..." He let out an exhausted sigh. _Well__, I'm gunna have to tell her eventually... _"Actually, about that... I know that Hinata really likes me, and that you really like Sasuke, but have you ever considered, I dunno, maybe you and I could..." He stopped himself, realizing that Sakura was too busy gazing at the stars (Sasuke) to even notice him speak. The Uchiha could be seen walking not too far ahead of them, and Naruto's nervous expression instantly turned to a glower.

"Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed, jogging ahead. The raven haired boy turned to her with his typical apathetic eyes, noticing the pissed off looking blonde who trailed behind her.

"Hey." He said.

"How did your interview go?" She queried excitedly.

"It was fine."

"Did you get the job?" Naruto's voice chimed in. He had put his mask back on, concealing any negative emotion he had previously felt.

"Probably."

"Well, you sure sound stoked." He said with a roll of his eyes.

"I'm sure you got it, I can't think of a reason why you wouldn't." Sakura grinned. Sasuke blatantly ignored this and looked to Naruto.

"Yeah, so, you coming over later, dobe?"

"Yep." He grinned widely, receiving a jab in the side from Sakura's elbow.

"I thought we had plans?"

"Uh, we did?" Her glare intensified. "I mean, yeah." Naruto laughed awkwardly. "Well, you can come, but we're gunna be playing video games all night."

"That's fine! I can just watch." She chimed, and Sasuke sent Naruto a look that said _seriously? _He simply shrugged in response.

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><p>Sasuke had basically been waiting for Sakura to leave all night. He sat in his bean bag chair, game controller clutched tightly in his hands, and his foot tapping repeatedly. Her and Naruto had been bickering for the last two hours.<p>

He really hated when she came over, and it would be obvious to anyone but Sakura herself.

"Well, looks like I better get going." The girl yawned, looking at her watch. "Thanks for having me over, Sasuke." She grinned to him, and he nodded, not bothering to pass her a look.

"See ya." He muttered somewhat sardonically.

"See you tomorrow." Naruto smiled. Sakura's eyes hadn't swayed from the back of Sasuke's head, until she turned to leave.

Sasuke waited for a few minutes after she was gone so he was certain that she was out of ear distance. "I don't get it."

"Get what?" The blonde inquired, plopping down on the second bean bag chair. He had sat on the couch with Sakura prior.

"Why you like her."

Naruto scoffed. "I don't get why you don't. She's all over you."

"Yeah, it's annoying. She's always pestering me and sucking up to me. I _don't_ like that."

He laughed a little. "Yeah, she does do that... But that's just cause she wants your attention, idiot."

"I know what she wants." Sasuke replied snidely, starting their next round of _Call of Duty. _He was intent on the game for a few moments, violently taking the lead, before he continued. "I'm just not interested, I've made that apparent on multiple occasions. I don't get why you don't tell her that. She's your friend, not mine."

"I just don't have it in me. She really likes you. I wish you'd just... I don't know. Either give her a shot or tell her yourself."

"You should just tell her that you like her."

"I've implied it multiple times."

"And I've implied that I _don't _like her, and she still doesn't get it."

"Touche..." Naruto sighed. "Well, whatever. She really wants me to ask out Hinata, so maybe I should just do that."

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. "Hinata?"

"Yeah. You know... Sakura's best friend, in our first period-"

"Yeah, I know who she is." He cut him off matter-of-factly. "Why would Sakura want you to ask her out?"

"Because Hinata likes me."

Sasuke sat for a moment, playing his game in silence until the round was over. He casually tossed his controller on the ground and reached for his cigarettes. As he lit his cigarette, Naruto sent him a mischievous look.

"Why don't _you_ ask Hinata out?"

Sasuke sent him an instant glare. "Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because if you dated Hinata, then Sakura would have no choice but to give up on you and to give up on Hinata and I."

He simply rolled his dark eyes. "Genius plan, really. But I don't date. You know that. It's fucking stupid."

"Oh, calm down. It was just a joke." He let out an exasperated breath. "Oh well, I'll just keep trying to tell Sakura how I feel and hope that she one day complies."

"Looks like you're gunna have to."

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><p>Friday had approached a lot sooner than Hinata had anticipated. In a way, she was hoping that her father would find out about her detention and ground her, just so she would have a liable excuse to give Sakura about the party. In all honesty, the girl dreaded going, but Hinata was never very good at asserting herself.<p>

The day before, she had told her best friend how she felt about it, and the pink haired girl was quick to lose it on the idea.

_"You have to come!" _She had insisted. _"I don't want to go alone, and Sasuke's going to be there, so I need to be too!" _

There was no way Hinata could refuse those desperate eyes. So, she spent the day at school feeling rather nervous about it. Last year hadn't been the most fun, spending a majority of the night in the upstairs bathroom with Sakura and Ino, while Ino puked her guts out. She'd been incredibly pissed off and was freaking out at Sakura between each lunge. It was as hilarious as it was frightening to see Ino vomiting while screaming _"Fuck you Sakura, this is all your fucking fault!" _

_Tonight can't be much worse than that, can it? _Hinata asked herself, idly tapping her pencil against her desk. She was sitting in last period, awaiting the final bell. Her fifth period class was Home Ec. She wasn't looking forward to when they would have to choose their partners for the semester. Unlike most people, Hinata always hoped that the teacher would pick partners for them, mainly because she didn't know many people. In that particular class, she knew no one.

Well, there was one person who she was aware of.

Two rows ahead of her, looking even more bored than usual, sat Sasuke Uchiha; the only male in the entire class. Hinata thought this was especially obscure; she could see Naruto taking Home Ec way before Sasuke. But there he was, with his messy black hair and unkempt uniform clashing against the atmosphere of the room.

She'd worked with him the past few days, but they did not speak. During slow periods, she had quietly observed the way Asuma was teaching him the menu, and the proper way to greet customers. Sasuke wasn't exactly the most enthusiastic, but Asuma seemed to find him adequate. Apparently, Sasuke would be a server, and if he did well, would eventually make his way up to cook.

The bell rang, snapping Hinata out of her reverie. She realized that she'd been focusing on the back of Sasuke's head, and feeling like an idiot, was the first to exit the room. As she skittered down the hallway, eager to find her locker, her phone buzzed in her pocket. The girl pulled it out to see a text message from Sakura.

_"I can't wait for tonight! Come to my place at 6 and we'll have dinner and get ready!"_

Hinata gulped, but left a kind reply. She wasn't able to shake the feeling that something bad would happen tonight; it was a sort of impending feeling of doom, that lingered on even until she arrived at Sakura's door come six o'clock.

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><p><strong>AN: **Yup, I decided to write another high school story. It's been a while for me haha, it was really just for fun. I hope you guys like it.

**Review **and let me know if you want me to continue!


	2. Recipe for Disaster

**The Chaos Complexion**

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><p><em><strong>chapter two; <strong>recipe for disaster_

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><p>"Ugh, when are Sasuke and Naruto gunna get here?" Sakura asked, impatiently tapping her high heel against Ino's hardwood floor. Her and Hinata sat on the couch, with only a few people surrounding them.<p>

"I told you we should have come later..." Hinata muttered. "The party hasn't even started yet."

"Well, whatever. I want to be here when Sasuke and Naruto get here, that way we can flag them down the moment they walk in." She giggled. "It gives us a chance to get their attention before some other girls do."

"I suppose..." Hinata sighed.

"I think that tonight should be the night that you tell Naruto how you feel, Hina." Sakura said suddenly, a hint of mischief in her tone. The Hyuga girl's head snapped to her friend instantly, plastered with a look of shock.

"No way!" She exclaimed. "I-I'm already nervous enough for this party, Sakura, I don't need that burden on my plate as well."

"It's not a burden... I think that Naruto would really ask you out if you told him!"

She idly fiddled with her fingers, her pale face now slightly flushed. "Y-You think so?"

"I know so... Pretty sure he's just waiting for an opportunity, at this point."

"I don't know about that, Sakura. After all these years of being acquainted with Naruto, he has never shown any interest in me other than friendship. Which is the main reason I don't want to tell him how I feel. If he rejects me, I could never show my face to him again."

"He won't though!" Sakura reached in her backpack, pulled out two bottles and handed one to Hinata. "Maybe this will help change your mind." The girl winked, and Hinata gulped.

"You know I'm not much of a drinker."

"Just have a couple, it'll lighten you up."

Hinata sighed. At that point, she figured that she really had nothing to lose. And it wasn't like she'd never drank before; her family was big on celebrating holidays with wine and beer. But she was comfortable with her family, not with a bunch of random people at some house party. Regardless, she opened the bottle and took a swig.

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><p>"Alright, let's do another one." Naruto said, his normally bright eyes looking a bit droopy. He sat with Sasuke on the couch in Sasuke's bachelor apartment, taking shots of whiskey. They quickly downed them back and took a sip of pop. Naruto was the first to shudder. "Okay, I think we're good to go now." He chuckled.<p>

"Screw it, let's go." Sasuke smirked, and the two packed up their alcohol for the trip. Sasuke lived about ten minutes away from Ino. The two stumbled a bit as they walked down the streets.

"So, I say we go straight for the basement." Naruto slurred, and Sasuke nodded in agreement.

"Definitely. Pool table, darts, Ino's dad even has a bar down there. Rich assholes..." Sasuke grumbled. "But I'm satisfied with being able to drink there and trash the place at least four times a year."

Naruto chuckled. "Yep. The beginning of the year, Halloween, New Years, and the end of the year. Ino's finest moments."

"I can't see why anyone would like her for any other reasons. That's probably why she got voted president, because she invites the whole school."

"I seriously don't know how her parents let her party like that... The place always gets completely messed up."

Sasuke shrugged. "Whatever, not our problem." The two approached the house (more like mansion, really) and could see the silhouettes of many bodies through the windows.

"And so it begins." Naruto smirked.

Upon walking through the door, they could see that the place was already starting to get trashed, and it was only ten o'clock. Normally, the parties would go til about three in the morning.

"Sasuke, Naruto, over here!" Sakura's voice was the first thing they heard over the noise.

"Of course, she was waiting for us..." Sasuke muttered, and Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Do ya have to be so pessimistic about her?"

"Sort of."

Sakura's face was slightly blushed, matching with her dark pink dress and naturally, her cherry blossom hair. Naruto mused about how he had never liked the colour pink until he met her. Hinata was trailing not far behind, wearing a black dress that she often wore to work. For some odd reason, Sasuke recognized it. The girls approached them with a smile.

"We're going to the basement." Naruto said through a grin. "Come with us!"

"We'd love to." Sakura beamed, sending Hinata an encouraging glance. The girl didn't seem as excited about it, but she _had _lightened up a bit due to the alcohol. She thought about how Sakura was usually right.

_Should I tell Naruto how I feel tonight?_

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><p>An hour passed, and things were getting extremely hectic. Bottles were smashing, curtains were ripped down, and a few people had already vomited.<p>

"Ugh, this is getting messy." Sasuke commented, pushing his way through the crowd to get to the back patio. Sakura followed him quietly, not wanting him to notice that Naruto and Hinata had been separated from them. _This is my shot... _The girl thought with a nervous smirk. She was slightly intoxicated, and seeing that Sasuke was too, figured this would be the best time for her to spill her feelings. Her hope in shoving Hinata and Naruto away from them, was that Hinata would do the same.

They finally burst through to the back, where many groups of people were crowded around each other, smoking their cigarettes. Sasuke lit one up and turned to face her, instantly noticing that he was alone with her. Sakura's face wrinkled for a moment, disgusted at the smell of smoke. Upon looking at Sasuke, she quickly forgot about it.

"Uh, where did Naruto go?" He inquired, eyeing her uncomfortably.

"Um, I'm not sure. Him and Hinata must have gotten lost back there." She laughed awkwardly. "It's pretty nuts in there..."

"Yeah..." Sasuke leaned up against the wall and faced away from her, hoping that she wouldn't pester him.

"Actually, Sasuke, while we're alone, I wanted to talk to you about something."

He looked at her from the side and casually took a puff from his cigarette. "Oh yeah?"

She began to fiddle with the bottom of her dress, adjusting the way it fit on her body. She thought back to what Hinata had said earlier; _"If he rejects me, I could never show my face to him again."_

A cheesy smile plastered over her pink face then and she awkwardly played with her hair. "Actually, nevermind. I forgot."

"Right..." Sasuke muttered.

"So, you having a good-" Before Sakura could finish her question, she was cut off by Naruto's rambunctious voice entering the patio.

"Where the hell are they?" He inquired, before he caught sight of the two. He inwardly glowered with jealousy, noticing Sakura's close proximity to the Uchiha. Outwardly, he smiled and waved. Hinata was trailing behind with her eyes on the ground. "Oi, Sakura, it's beer pong time."

"W-What? Not now..." She frantically replied.

"Whadd'ya mean?" He slurred. "You and I killed it last year. C'mon!"

"Ugh, you're totally hammered." She snorted.

"Isn't that the point?" He grinned, grabbing her harshly by the wrist. Sakura had no time to object before she was hurled back inside, pulled away from Sasuke and an unsuspecting Hinata.

The two of them were completely silent for several seconds, awkwardly looking around. "Uh, hey." Sasuke was the first to speak.

"Hi." The girl spoke dully, still thinking back to what had just happened to her inside. Sakura had shoved her into Naruto, sending the both of them hurdling to the ground. Hinata landed on top of him, and a bunch of people laughed. Embarrassed, the girl tried to run away, but Naruto stopped her. _"It's all in good fun, Hinata." _He had smiled reassuringly. _"Don't be embarrassed, just laugh it off!" _

And she certainly did, even if it was only because Naruto's smile was even more nerve-calming than alcohol. Hinata wasn't incredibly drunk by any means, but she was feeling more confident. She couldn't shake the idea of confessing to Naruto out of her mind.

When she tried to pull him away to tell him, she realized something.

_"Hey, where's Sakura at?" _He'd asked, looking like somewhat of a lost puppy. _"I need her to play beer pong with me!" _Hinata was dwindling on the idea that he hadn't invited her, who was present with him, to play. It was odd, really. Hinata was not a jealous person by nature, and especially not of her best friend...

But Naruto definitely did seem to give Sakura a lot of attention.

"Uh, hello?" Sasuke's sarcastic voice pulled Hinata from her thoughts, snapping her right back into reality.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you say something?" She asked innocently.

"Uh yeah, I asked you a question." He said, slightly taken back. _She ignored me? _"You work at The Chopstick House... Right?"

"Yes, I do. You were just hired, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yeah, that's me."

"How do you like it so far?"

"Meh, this is too hectic, I'm thinking about getting out of here. Too many people."

Hinata giggled a bit then, catching him off guard. He looked at her quizzically. "I meant the job."

"Oh, right, the job..." He muttered. "I'm kind of drunk. The job is okay though. I'm almost eighteen, gotta pay rent somehow."

"My parents will make me pay rent when I turn eighteen too."

"Well, I actually live on my own."

Hinata recalled that Sasuke was an orphan, as Sakura had spoken about it numerous times. "O-Oh, right..." The girl murmured, feeling sorry for bringing up the topic.

"It's fine." He laughed slightly, managing to do so without a grin. Hinata thought that was especially weird about him. What was even more strange was that she was actually having a conversation with him. Her first thought was whether she was supposed to say hi when she saw him from that point on. Passing by somebody who she was aquainted with, but not truly friends with, was number one on her list of daily awkward encounters.

"You're Naruto's best friend, right?" Hinata said without thinking, feeling silly. She was never very good at small talk.

"Yeah, I guess."

_Well... I might as well... _She inwardly sighed. "Do you know... What kind of girls he goes for?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the question, but Hinata didn't see it. Her eyes were glued to the wood deck beneath them. The first thing that crossed Sasuke's mind was _she's kinda cute, _which was weird, because Sasuke generally hated everything about most people. Sasuke was about to say 'Naruto likes Sakura', but he stopped himself. He wasn't sure why, but didn't want to make this annoyingly shy girl cry.

"I dunno." He shrugged. "Probably any girl who will pay attention to him. It's not like he's ever had a girlfriend."

"I see..." She muttered, making eye contact with him for a split second.

"You like him, don't you?" Sasuke asked bluntly, and smirked at the comically shocked look that crossed her face.

"Um, I was just curious." She peeped.

"That doesn't answer my question."

Hinata sighed, taking a sip from her bottle. _Okay, maybe I am a little bit drunk. _She thought, but quickly forgot that. "Fine. I do-"

"It's okay. There's no pressure to tell me." He chuckled a little. "I was just pestering you. To be honest, I don't care anyway."

"Um, okay." Hinata mumbled, once again avoiding his dark eyes.

"Well, Naruto is coming back to my place after the party. If you wanna hangout with him tonight, your best bet would be to come back with us."

Hinata was taken off guard by this, but the alcohol was speaking for her at that point. Instantly, she jumped at the offer. "Sure, that would be fun." She smiled. "Parties aren't really my thing anyway."

"Me neither." He flicked his cigarette butt in the bush and casually put his hands in his pockets. "Naruto always gets me excited about them, and once I'm in, I kind of want to leave. I do this every time."

Hinata laughed awkwardly and took another sip, if anything, to keep her mind occupied. She half wanted to walk away at that point, as she was out of things to say. Apparently, Sasuke wasn't.

"Do you play video games?" He inquired, once again, catching her off guard.

"Sometimes, I guess. I'm not very good though. My cousin Neji always beats me no matter what we play, but I suppose he's the only person I've ever played with."

"Well. I'm going to get out of here now. I have tons of games. Come, if you'd like." When she was silent for a moment, he continued, slightly exasperated. Hinata wasn't sure why. "I just want to get out of here now but I don't want to hang around by myself until Naruto comes back." When she was still silent, he grew irritated and somewhat nervous. "You don't have to."

"No, I'd like that." She replied hesitantly, finishing the rest of her drink. Sasuke did the same, and the two took off around the side of the house.

* * *

><p>"Where did Sasuke go?" Naruto asked as him and Sakura went back to the deck. They had won their game of beer pong, earning themselves a couple free drinks. They had searched almost the entire house, and there was no sign of Sasuke or Hinata anywhere.<p>

Naruto was simply curious, while Sakura found herself somewhat... Worried.

"Call him." She said darkly. It was more of a command than anything.

"Nah, he probably just went home. I'm going over there after this."

"Me too." Sakura blurted. "Sasuke invited me."

"Really?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. _Sasuke would literally never invite Sakura over, but whatever. _

Sakura quickly pulled her phone from her back and checked it, seeing no text messages from Hinata. Without thinking twice, she phoned her. It rang several times before going to voicemail. "What the hell..." She muttered. "Did they leave together?"

"They might have." Naruto said. "Who cares? Wanna go play another game?"

"No. I need to know where they are and if they're together." Sakura was incredibly drunk and the rage was starting to come out. Normally when she drank, she would find herself upset about _something _for a short period. It generally went away and she would be her cheery self again in no time. This time was different. Her heart was racing faster than her thoughts. Images of Sasuke and Hinata _together _ flashed through her mind, and she clenched her fists.

"We're going to Sasuke's. Now." She grabbed Naruto by the wrist and dragged him along the side of the house.

"Hey, hold up!" He resisted. "I don't wanna leave yet, we were just having fun!"

"Naruto, I don't think you understand the severity of the situation. What if they... Hook up?" She shuddered.

"So what?" Naruto began to grow annoyed.

"Are you serious? Hinata is my best friend and Sasuke is pretty much the love of my life. If they hook up, I would lose two of the most important people in my life."

"What is wrong with you?" Naruto stopped abruptly and ripped his arm away from her. She turned to him with anger in her emerald eyes. The two were now outside of the house.

"What is wrong with _you?" _She retorted.

"Sakura, you hardly know a single damn thing about Sasuke. How can you in the right mind say he's an important part of your life?"

"I've known Sasuke for years, what are you on about?" She furrowed her eyebrows even deeper at her friend. Naruto scoffed.

"You've never been alone with the guy for more than five minutes. He shows no interest in you, he knows nothing about you, and he doesn't care about you, not like I do."

And then there was silence. Sakura's expression twisted from anger to surprise, as though she really had no idea that Naruto cared for her. It was always in the back of her mind, but she ignored it, assuming that he would get over it eventually. Because Sakura was supposed to be with Sasuke, the boy she had been after since day one. And Naruto was supposed to be with Hinata. That had been her plan throughout all of high school. However, Naruto made a chilling point that stabbed her in the chest.

Maybe Sasuke wasn't just apathetic towards her because he was 'cool and mysterious', maybe he really just didn't give a shit about her.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Sakura spoke, clenching her fists at her sides. Her head hung low. "I'll tell Sasuke how I feel and then I'll know the truth." And with that, she scattered off towards Sasuke's apartment. With a defeated sigh, Naruto trailed behind her. Sasuke would never let her in alone, anyway.

Naruto leisurely had his hands in his pockets and he tried to avoid staring at the back of Sakura's head. He had (somewhat) confessed his feelings for her, and it still felt like he was carrying around a heavy burden. He had dragged on these feelings for years, but Sakura didn't care. He realized then how similar their situations were, and how much that truly _sucked. _

Naruto's thoughts of her and her Sasuke obsession swirled around in his mind. "So, what." He broke the silence. She did not look back. "You're not even going to say anything about what I said?" He drunkenly slurred. The blonde let out an exasperated breath. "You won't even give me a chance, as if I don't deserve one." When she still said nothing, he gave up. The two arrived at the apartment, and Sakura stopped to face him. Her expression was a lot softer now, and blatantly averted his eyes.

"Naruto, other than Hinata, you're my best friend." She admitted. "Don't do this." And that was all she said before she turned away and stormed in the building.

* * *

><p>"What the?" Sasuke exclaimed, throwing his controller on the ground. "Not good at video games, my ass..."<p>

"Eh, sorry..." Hinata peeped.

"Don't be sorry, I'm just joking around." He smirked at her. The two had spent the last while playing _Super Smash Brothers, _and to say the least, Hinata was far from terrible. It was, for the most part, an even match, but the girl had just beat him twice in a row. "You're a lot better than Naruto is."

She giggled. "Really?"

"Yeah, but then again, he's terrible at video games."

"I didn't realize that I was actually skilled. Neji always beats me."

Sasuke and Hinata were sitting close to each other on the couch. Closer than either of them realized. They hadn't stopped drinking once they got back, and it was really showing in Hinata. She wobbled a bit as she reached for her cup and took a sip.

"So, when do you think Naruto will be back?" Hinata asked. Sasuke had completely forgotten about his best friend, as he was too impressed that this strange girl was capable of beating him.

"I don't know, probably soon." He looked at the time; 2:00 am. "It's getting late."

"Ah, I didn't even realize the time!" Hinata sputtered, scrambling for her cell phone. "I have to get a hold of Sakura..." She was cut off by Sasuke putting his hand over her phone and lowering it. She looked at him with curious eyes.

"Sakura will come back with Naruto. I guarantee it."

"O-Okay... Speaking of that, actually..."

"Yeah?"

Hinata shook her head, trying to control her incoherent thoughts. "Never mind." She laughed sheepishly.

"What is it?"

_Well, I guess I have nothing to lose... _"Naruto, he... He likes Sakura, doesn't he?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment. "Yeah."

"I see." She nodded. "I never noticed it before tonight."

Sasuke shifted his weight closer to her and put his arm on the couch behind her. They way she looked up at him with her doe eyes and a light flush in her cheeks made his chest feel, as he said to himself, _'fucked'. _"Don't worry about it." He slurred. "You're a way cooler chick than Sakura. I don't know what he sees in her. You, however..."

Hinata didn't look away from his eyes, even when he put his hand on her chin, and pulled her face closer to his. He kept his eye contact with her, asking for approval. Hinata's heart raced through her chest and she really didn't realize what was happening until his lips pressed against hers. She didn't resist him. She hardly knew this boy, and she knew she'd regret it later, but in that moment, she liked him.

When their kiss deepened, and Sasuke's hand ran up the small of her back, she frantically pushed him away. "W-Wait!" She sputtered.

"I'm sorry..." He looked away from her. "I don't know what just came over me. I understand if you don't-"

"It's just, Sakura is my best friend." She cut him off. "If she found out about this, then-"

They were both cut off by the door being aggressively knocked on.

"Hinata, Sasuke, are you in there?" Sakura's voice rang.

"O-Oh my god." Reality hit Hinata like a fly swatter. She slid as far away from Sasuke as she could. Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows, thinking _why does Sakura have to ruin everything?_

"Come in!" Sasuke shouted sarcastically, and the pink haired girl instantly threw the door open.

"Hey, why did you guys leave?" Sakura's eyes were pinned directly on Hinata.

"It was getting hectic for both of us so I invited Hinata back here to wait for you and Naruto." Sasuke said simply. "Even though _you _weren't invited, how did I know that you would come back here? And where is Naruto anyway?"

"Right here." The blonde spoke from outside before appearing in the doorway. Hinata's face went even redder.

"Sasuke, I need to talk to you." Sakura blurted, and Sasuke raised an eyebrow in response.

"Oh yeah? What about?"

"In private." She urged, pointing towards the balcony. Sasuke snorted mockingly, as if saying _is this girl for real?_

"Alright, fine. Let's go." He immediately stormed to the balcony, though his thoughts of the girl on his couch hadn't ended. He wanted her. Maybe he was just drunk, but he wanted her. And Sakura was a direct conduit as to why he couldn't have her.

Sasuke and Sakura left a very apprehensive Hinata alone with a depressed looking Naruto. The blonde sat down on the couch and sighed, receiving a concerned look from Hinata.

"Is something the matter?" She inquired.

"Nah, it's nothing. I'm just tired." He sighed. This certainly wasn't like Naruto, but Hinata left it alone, the tingling feeling Sasuke's lips had left still affecting hers.

* * *

><p>"So what is it?" Sasuke asked, casually leaning against the banister, a cigarette in one hand. He looked at Sakura with a condescending stare.<p>

Sakura fiddled with her hair. _I have to ask him, _she told herself. _I have to get this over with now. _"Uh, look, Sasuke, I want to ask you a question."

"Shoot."

"Would you..." She clearned her throat. "Never mind. Look, I really like you, Sasuke. I've liked you for years."

He was silent for a moment, taking a few puffs from his cigarette. "I know that."

"If you know, then why would you never bring it up? Or make a move on me?" Sakura braced herself for his answer, her intuition telling her that she would not hear what she wanted to hear.

"I don't feel the same way." Was all he said. Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes, despite Sasuke's attempt to let her down easy. In his mind, he wanted to say, _I dislike you, not screw off. _

"I'm sorry." Sakura murmured, unable to stare at his face. Of course Naruto was right about Sasuke. She was just an idiot for not seeing it herself. With that, the girl stammered inside and instantly grabbed Hinata by the wrist and pulled her up. "We're leaving." She stormed off, dragging the girl's body like a rag doll. As Hinata was hurled out the door, she was able to catch one last glimpse at Sasuke, who had stared at her the entire time.

* * *

><p>Naruto woke up with a horrendous pain jolting through his temples and uncomfortable cramps running all down his back. He had slept in a mangled position on Sasuke's couch, as he always did when they drank together, unless they were at his place (or he passed out on the floor). He took a sharp, painful intake of breath as he sat up so see Sasuke looking pleasantly at ease in his bed.<p>

"Hey, wake up." Naruto said, throwing a bottle cap at the sleeping boy. He jolted up and was quick to clutch his head in agony.

"What the hell man..." He muttered, glancing over at the clock. It was 2:00 pm. "Shit, I have to work at five today..."

"That blows." Naruto laid back down in a more comfortable place, looking back at his hazy memories of last night's events. Instantly, a pang ran through his chest. "I'm an idiot." He said aloud.

"Tell me something I don't know." Sasuke said.

"Man, seriously." Naruto scowled. "I told Sakura how I felt about her, knowing that she would reject me."

"I don't get why you like that girl so much."

"Probably for the same reason she likes you."

"What, an idiotic, blinded crush?"

Naruto laughed through a sigh. "Yep."

"Well, you might as well stop wasting your time." As Sasuke said this, he recalled what had happened with _him _last night. Not the Sakura part; he didn't care about that. In fact, he'd been hoping she would confess to him eventually to he could tell her what his actions had failed to do. He thought about the strangely cute girl he had on his couch, the first girl he had ever actually liked, even if he was drunk for it. Sure, he found her attractive, but even that morning, he couldn't stop thinking that there was something more about her. He contemplated telling Naruto this, but decided against it. Sasuke was not interested in dating, nor did he care for women. That was what he always told himself.

He pulled out his phone and searched her name on Facebook. Her profile picture was her and Sakura smiling happily; he never really saw Hinata smile. He'd never really seen her much at all before his first day of work, where he'd found himself noticing her. Without much thought, he sent her a friendship request, if anything, just to see if she'd accept it.

* * *

><p>"Ugh, my head..." Hinata muttered, rolling on her back. There was an irritating beam of sunlight that leaked through the blinds of Sakura's bedroom, whiting over her vison for a moment. She looked over to see Sakura was awake, but curled up in a ball on her bed, crying endlessly. Hinata had passed out on the floor with no pillow or blanket, so when she tried to get up, the pain that jolted through her neck did not compliment her hangover.<p>

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Hinata dared to ask.

"S-Sasuke..." The girl whimpered.

Right.

Sasuke.

Hinata's memory was fragmented, but she knew exactly what had happened, and her first emotion was anger over fear.

Sasuke Uchiha had stolen her first kiss. _That asshole, he hurt Sakura, now what am I supposed to do? My first kiss was for Naruto! _Hinata fumed, but quickly stopped herself. Being angry at Sasuke was not rational. _Because I kissed him too... _

It took her a moment to fully process what _she _had done, never mind Sasuke. In the grand scheme of things, it was her fault; she was the one who betrayed her best friend. Sasuke was just a drunk guy who was interested in her, and for whatever other worldly reason, Hinata had accepted his interest.

"I can't believe how stupid I am..." Sakura spoke. "Why did I honestly believe that Sasuke and I could be together?"

"You're not stupid, Sakura." Hinata reassured, trying to hide the guilt in her voice. "You just really liked him... Which is perfectly normal." She recalled when Sasuke admitted that Naruto liked Sakura and flinched a little. "If it makes you feel any better, I know that Naruto doesn't like me."

"That doesn't make me feel better." She snapped, recieving a frightened jump from her timid friend. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Hina. I'm just upset."

"It's fine." Hinata's phone beeped and she checked it, expecting it to be Neji or her father; but it was a notification from her Facebook page, saying that Sasuke had added her as a friend.

"Hey, Hinata..." Sakura pulled her from her thoughts, and the girl carelessly chucked her phone. "Did anything happen between you and Sasuke last night?"

Hinata's throat closed. So she had wished, anyway. "No, of course not." She peeped. Lying was far from the girl's strong suit, but she _couldn't _tell Sakura the truth then. Nothing would make a better recipe for disaster.

Sakura laughed softly. "Okay, I'm really sorry for asking. I know you would never do that to me."

Hinata gulped. "Y-Yeah."

"I have to tell you something though, about Naruto."

"What is it?"

"Naruto... Likes me."

"It's okay, Sakura." Hinata smiled to her friend. "I know he does."

"You should know that I'm not going to date him... Ever. So I still think you should go after him."

"But he doesn't like me like that. I don't know if I can waste any more time fantasizing about a relationship with Naruto that may never happen."

"Naruto isn't like Sasuke. I think that he could come around."

"I dunno." Hinata sighed, before a look of utter shock crossed her face. "Oh god, I have to work today." Hinata scrambled to her feet and quickly gathered her things. Sakura instantly assumed that she was upset because she forgot; but it wasn't just that.

Sasuke was now her co-worker.

As she raced out the door, the only prayed that the Uchiha boy would not be working.

* * *

><p>"So, are you going to accept my request on Facebook?"<p>

A shudder ran through Hinata's back as she heard his voice behind her, as if her nerves weren't already rattled enough.

Feeling like complete crap at work (and having to talk to people as part of the job) was bad enough as it was. But she thought she was safe. She had grown far too comfortable in the last two hours that she hadn't seen Sasuke, feeling relieved, knowing that she wouldn't have to face him that day. Yet there he was.

"U-Um, I was going to, after work..." She uttered, daring to turn around. She was on her break now, standing at her locker, about to open it so she could grab her wallet and buy some much-needed food.

"Sure you were." He said. "You're on break, right?"

"Yeah."

"Let's talk. I start in half an hour."

"Actually, I'm going to the food court to grab something to eat." She stuttered, hoping that he would back off.

"I am too."

_Shit. _"Let's go then."

They didn't speak on their way downstairs to the food court. Hinata's palms were terribly sweaty the whole time, but she tried to breathe slowly. They grabbed a slice of pizza each and sat down in one of the booths.

"So, about last night." Sasuke began, right to be point, as always. He noted Hinata's shaken appearance. "I shouldn't have come on to you like that. No hard feelings?"

"Um, sure. No hard feelings."

They ate in silence for a few moments. "Well, now that we got that out-of-the-way..." Sasuke continued. "You should come by after work tonight. Naruto's coming over, he might even be inviting Sakura, but I doubt that."

"I'm sorry, I'm really behind in my classes. I have a lot of homework to catch up on." She lied. Hinata was never behind in anything, except for poorly developed social skills, that is.

_She's too damn polite... _Sasuke thought, slightly irked. "It's cool, I get it." Hinata fiddled with her fingers. _If I hangout with him, it will kill Sakura..._ _Or she'll kill me. _The girl shuddered. "Something the matter?" Sasuke asked.

_Well, I'm going to have to tell him eventually... _Hinata inwardly groaned. Her confrontational skills were not on her resume. Sasuke was a practical stranger, too. He just happened to be her first kiss. "I don't think we should hang out." She blurted nervously.

"I'm not surprised to hear you say that." He took a bite out of his pizza. "Don't be so nervous. I'm not going to tell anyone about what happened. I'm not out to ruin your friendship with that chick."

_That chick? _She stared at him for a moment, thinking _wow, he really is a jerk..._

"Thank you, Sasuke." She said calmly. "I should go back up there now, I will see you at work then." She teetered off before he could insist on going up with her. They had the same destination, after all, but Sasuke wasn't one to pester. He let her run away and wouldn't say another word about it.

He sighed, staring down at his leftovers. An odd feeling washed over him, one he would probably place as disappointment, though he wasn't necessarily sure why it even bothered him. So some girl didn't want to hang out with him. Girls made crappy friends, anyway.

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, and was surprised to see that Hinata had actually accepted his friend request.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Hey guys, I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update this! I should have posted it a long time ago. Thank you all for your lovely reviews! They definitely inspire me to keep this going. Expect an update from this store more regularly.

**Please review!**


	3. Stolen Lips

**The Chaos Complexion**

* * *

><p><em><strong>chapter three; <strong>stolen lips_

* * *

><p>The room was silent, save the <em>swipe <em>of a broom being brushed against the floor and the _sizzle _of the frying machine, which was still shutting down. Sasuke lifted his head from the prep station, which he had been wiping off. Why was it his duty to clean the kitchen? He wasn't a cook. Regrettably, he was a waiter, and Hinata, who swept, was a waitress. The cooks were somewhere in the back, putting away the food and cleaning the grills. Ino Yamanaka was wiping down the tables and bringing in left over dishes from the customers. Kurenai was standing by the cash register, filling out the necessary paperwork for the end of the night.

This left Sasuke and Hinata alone, in the front part of the kitchen. She kept her eyes on the floor as she swept up dirt food particles off the tile. Sasuke watched her for a moment, before proceeding to wipe off the prep station. When he looked away, she looked up.

They, along with the rest of the kitchen, finished their duties. One by one, they collected their belongings from their lockers. Sasuke and Hinata hadn't spoken to each other throughout their shift. Hinata had hoped he wouldn't be closing. Once Kuranai dismissed them, the employees dispatched from the kitchen. Hinata was the first one out, followed by Sasuke. They took the same exit. They had to walk along the same route. It was ten o'clock and the air felt cool. She wished she hadn't forgotten to bring a sweater. She'd been too hungover from the party before she went to work to even remember that summer was over, and the evenings had grown rather chilly.

A pair of footsteps walked idly behind Hinata. He was several meters away, but she still felt awkward. She picked up her pace, keeping her arms wrapped firmly over her chest.

"Sasuke, wait up!" a voice rang behind them. Without thinking, Hinata glanced behind to see Ino catching up with Sasuke. He said nothing to her as she joined him in walking. "Did you have fun last night?" She beamed.

Sasuke shrugged. "I guess."

"It's so cool that you work with me now." Ino chimed. Hinata inwardly groaned and rolled her orbs. Ino was so predictable. Despite the fact that they'd been friends throughout their childhood, Ino hardly acknowledged Hinata's existence.

"Yeah." Sasuke grumbled. Ino continued to banter, on and on, until she said something that grabbed Hinata's attention. She knew she shouldn't have been eavesdropping, but it was hard when Ino was so loud, and they were so close behind her. Ino asked Sasuke if he wanted to hang out, alone. Instinctively, unwillingly, Hinata turned her head back. Sasuke's eyes, to her surprise (and embarrassment), were already on her. He waved to her, so she stopped. She kept her eyes on the boy as him and Ino caught up to her. She wasn't sure why. Wasn't she supposed to be ignoring him? Something in his eyes captivated her. They held her by shackles, until she found herself side by side with the Uchiha. Ino only just noticed Hinata's presence, and a grimace formed on her face.

"Hey." Sasuke said to Hinata.

"H-Hey," she stuttered, blushing, feeling Ino's glare on her.

"So, what do you say, Sasuke? Come over to my place?" Ino queried, making a point to overpower Hinata's tiny voice.

"Nah, I'll pass," he spoke with apathy, holding his hands in the pockets of his pants.

"How come?" Ino pouted.

"Promised Hinata I'd help her with math homework tonight." Immediately, Hinata's head snapped to Sasuke. As casually as ever, he kept his gaze forward.

"Oh, is that so?" Hinata couldn't see Ino's face, but she could her the mischief in her voice.

"N-No," Hinata sweat-dropped. "That's okay, Sasuke. Another time, perhaps."

Now, it was Sasuke's turn to glare. He lightly elbowed the girl in her side. "No, tonight works best for me. I'm busy for the rest of the week."

To say the least, Hinata was dumbfounded. She bit her lip, but feeling cornered, nodded her head. "Okay."

"Aww, well all right then, don't _study _too hard," Ino drilled daggers into Hinata's head, but the girl hid her face with her bangs. Unfortunately, Sasuke lived along the way to Ino's, so the walk continued far past where Hinata would have broken off. To go along with Sasuke's lie, she walked with him to his apartment, where Ino finally continued on her way.

When the blonde was gone, Hinata turned to Sasuke in the lobby of his apartment with a huff. "What was that all about?" she inquired, distraught.

"You don't actually have to come upstairs." He crossed his arms over his chest and faced the red-faced girl. "Look, if I don't maintain a civil friendship with Ino, she won't let me into her parties. That's just how she is."

"You don't even like her parties," she grumbled. "Ino is undoubtedly going to tell Sakura. I_ know_ how Ino is. She's also going to add in the snide part about _studying!" _Hinata began to huff, and sat herself down on a chair. She attempted to slow her breathing, failing as the anxiety took over.

"So just tell Sakura the truth. Why do girls always have to make things so complicated?"

Sasuke sat in the chair opposing her. The lobby had a small living area for guests. "Hinata, it's fine. I'll even tell Sakura myself, if I have to."

Hinata's breathing slowed down. She took one final huff, before her panic attacked had been overrun. "Y-You will?"

"If I _have _to," he repeated. "You should go home, but you're way off track. It's getting late. At least let me walk you home-"

"No," she cut in. "No, it's fine. I can call a cab. Thank you, Sasuke."

He was silent for a moment, watching her fiddle with her phone as she found a taxi service. "All right then," he spoke nonchalantly. "Guess I'll see you at work or school, whichever comes first."

"Right," she muttered, just wishing he would go away. For once, her wish came true, and the Uchiha disappeared into the elevator.

* * *

><p>Hinata woke up to the sound of knocking on her bedroom door. She fumbled out of her bed and threw on her housecoat. "Come in," she called out. Neji opened the door and poked his head in.<p>

"Hinata, you have a guest," he said, allowing a pink haired girl entrance to the room. Hinata's chest leaped. She had fallen asleep immediately upon arrival the previous night, so she'd almost forgotten that the sinister Ino would have told Sakura about her and Sasuke's 'study plans'. She could see now, by Sakura's furrowed brows, that her prediction was right.

"Hey," Sakura said darkly.

"H-Hi," Hinata stammered. She shot Neji, who lingered by the door, a glare, and he left. When the door closed behind them, tension filled the room to the brim.

"So," Sakura began, "I had a weird conversation with Ino last night."

"Sakura, I know what this is about," she said.

"Save it. I thought it was kind of weird when you added Sasuke on Facebook, but I brushed it off, but you hooked up with him on friday, didn't you?"

"No!" Hinata exclaimed, which was not a lie. She may have kissed him, but even her drunk self would never be silly enough to go beyond that.

"So what's with this studying business?" Sakura breathed deeply, and Hinata could tell she was trying to keep her cool. Sakura always had a fiery temper, the exact opposite of Hinata, which made her all the more intimidating.

"It was a lie," Hinata said. "Sasuke, Ino and I take a similar route home from work. Sasuke pulled me into a lie about homework, so he had an excuse to blow off Ino, who was asking him to hang out."

Sakura's brows remained knotted.

"Sakura, I'm telling the truth," she affirmed. "P-Please, believe me."

After a few moments of silence, Sakura finally relaxed her shoulders. "Okay," she said. "I'm sorry. I was just so angry that it might be true."

"It's not. I walked with them until Ino left, then called a cab home right away. I promise."

"I believe you," Sakura rubbed the back of her head and laughed awkwardly. "Sorry. I know I have a terrible temper."

"It's okay."

The intensity of the room was now much more light hearted between the girls. They sat and chatted for a bit, before Sakura made her leave, as Hinata needed to get ready for work. Once Sakura left, she collapsed on her bed and resisted the urge to scream into her pillow.

That was hardly 1/10 of Sakura's reaction if she found out about the kiss.

She shut her eyes and envisioned the events of the party. Sasuke. The kiss.

_The kiss._

Her very first one, which she had wanted to save for Naruto, had been stolen by his best friend. Hinata had been so worked up about the whole thing that she didn't even have time to think about the fact that Naruto openly admitted his attraction to Sakura. Her chest sunk. How had she hardly thought of it? Sasuke was too busy plaguing her thoughts.

She allowed herself a few moments to relive the moment where he had touched her face, in a way she'd never been touched. She imagined the way his lips felt, his tongue against hers, how he'd felt the contours of her back with his hand, and how he'd smelled faintly of pine, whiskey and smoke. It was still so fresh in her mind. She shuddered, admitting that it was a good first kiss, even if it was from Sasuke, of all people. Her memory of the night was hazy, but she could never forget that moment if she tried.

Hinata felt dirty for liking it, and most of all, for liking him. She asked herself if she still did, and wasn't sure.

_Avoiding him is the best option, _she thought. _That can never happen again. _

She was somewhat disappointed as she got up and readied herself for work, once more, hoping that he wouldn't be in.

* * *

><p>Monday morning came too early, but Hinata was ready to put the most hectic weekend of her life behind her. For once, the idea of a regular high school day appealed to her. The only problem was, Sasuke was in two of her classes.<p>

Hinata teetered into her Math class early. No one was in the room, not even the teacher. Sasuke was notorious for being late, which eased her. She would have more time for mental preparation. The entire morning, since she opened her eyes, was apparently not enough.

Sasuke had not worked with her the day before, to her approval. She was idly doodling in her notebook when she heard the door open. She raised her head, expecting to see Mr. Hatake, but was only greeted by the stone cold glare of none other than _him. _

_Just my luck._

He wore a callous expression and a red and black baseball shirt. Hinata said nothing, instantly reverting her gaze to the safety of her notebook. She continued to draw squiggly lines, more aggressively this time. Sasuke took his spot beside her.

"Hey," he said.

"Hello," she peeped, keeping her attention on her pencil. Sasuke sighed in exasperation, before taking a book out of his backpack. He began to read, and Hinata inadvertently caught sight of the title. It was the final _Lord of the Rings _book, her favourite of the three. She resisted the urge to bring up a conversation about it and kept quiet until the classroom began to fill.

* * *

><p>The crowded cafeteria was making Sasuke's head hurt. As he stood in the line up with Naruto, he wore a glower that was probably going to get comfortable and stay for a while. He'd spent the night tossing and turning, falling in and out of conciousness, where bad dreams had afflicted him. When his alarm rang for school in the morning, he'd woke up with that permanent scowl.<p>

A few people in front of them, he spotted navy hair. Beside her, pink hair. Hinata had been stiff first period, making a point to never look at him. When he asked her for a pencil, she didn't even turn her head and she abruptly handed him the once she was using. It irritated him. She was making things weird, not him. He was just trying to be civil, and she was making it increasingly difficult.

Still, he didn't dislike her. On the contrary, he couldn't stop thinking about the feeling he'd had that night, where he had truly _wanted _her. Sure, he was drunk, but he'd concluded that the feeling was candid. If he had the opportunity, he would kiss her again. That didn't seem likely to happen, not with Sakura around.

Naruto was being pouty. He stood beside Sasuke with his shoulders slumped and his eyes glued on the pink hair ahead.

"She hasn't said a word to me since Friday," Naruto sighed, and Sasuke looked at him.

"Have you tried talking to her?"

"Yep. Sent her a few messages, but no reply."

"She knows the truth about me now," Sasuke said. "Give it time."

"Thanks," Naruto muttered, though he didn't feel reassured. He regretted telling Sakura the truth more than anything, because if she never did return his feelings, their friendship was probably over. "Maybe I should ask Hinata out, " the blond suggested, and Sasuke's irises flared.

"What?" he inquired, more combatively than he intended.

"Hinata is nice, right? And she's really pretty, too." They took a few steps forward as the line slowly progressed. "If Hinata and I end up hitting it off, then things with Sakura could recover."

He was silent for several moments as they stepped ahead in the line. "I don't know about that," was all Sasuke could say. His pride prevented him from telling Naruto the truth, that jealousy was raging through his chest.

* * *

><p>The only thing keeping Hinata at ease for fifth period was the fact that Sasuke was the only boy in the class. That meant that when they had to chose partners, every girl in the class would want to go for him first. He was, after all, revered around the school for his good looks and mysterious demeanour. As he entered the class room, Hinata could hear snickers from girls around her about how cute Sasuke was.<p>

She resisted the urge to smirk to herself, because _she _of all people had kissed him. She mentally scolded herself, being reminded that kissing Sasuke was not something she could be proud of. She blushed on the idea, and Sasuke noticed her. She was at the back of the room, whereas he sat at the front.

The teacher, Mei, who insisted students called her by her first name, was a tall, curvy woman with long brown hair. She was incredibly beautiful, Hinata thought, which intimidated her. She wondered if Sasuke found her attractive, then asked herself why it mattered.

Mei announced that today was the day they would select their partners for the rest of the semester. Anxiety shook through Hinata's chest as she darted her eyes around for a friendly looking girl. Everyone was partnering up, where she sat there like a deer caught in headlights. She watched as a few pretty, confident girls walked up to Sasuke. He seemed to be declining them.

"I don't want a partner at all," she heard him say. If he could get away with that, then maybe she could, too. She should have known better. When the rest of the class was partnered up, Hinata and Sasuke were the last two lacking.

"Sasuke, Hinata, you two don't have partners?" Mei asked, striding down the aisle. "Well, looks like you're stuck together!" she chortled, and Hinata's face fell. She gaped at the back of Sasuke's head until he glanced back at her with an apathetic stare.

"Go on, Sasuke, be a gentleman and sit beside her," Mei instructed. Hinata could feel the envious glares of her peers drilling her, but could only focus on the boy who scooted into the seat beside her.

The Home Ec room was divided into two parts. The first, were tables for two set up around the room. The second, were a series of work stations featuring sinks and stoves. Mei explained that their task of the day was to bake cookies. Hinata said nothing to Sasuke as the two of them made their way to the kitchen area.

"Can you bake?" Sasuke asked, breaking their vow of silence.

"Yes," Hinata mumbled.

"Good, because I can't."

Hinata nodded. She would prefer it if he did nothing, anyway. He silently spectacled as Hinata prepared the cookies according to the recipe. She asked him to hold something here and there, but other than that, she completed it all on her own. She moved frantically and refused to make eye contact with him. It was kind of cute, really, how frenzied the girl was. She managed to get flour in her hair and over her apron. When she put the cookies in the oven, she sighed and turned to him, finally making taction.

"Ten minutes, exactly," she said, setting a timer on her phone.

"Cool," Sasuke responded. They stood in silence for a moment before Hinata spoke.

"So, why are you in this class, anyway, Sasuke?" she asked as cordially as she could.

"I took too long to sign up for my courses," he responded with his hands in his pockets. "I wanted to take Welding, but it was full. My only options were this course or Creative Writing."

"I see," she said. "I saw you reading Lord of the Rings earlier... Do you not like to write?"

"Reading and writing are two completely different things."

"True."

Ten minutes finally passed, and Hinata took the cookies from the oven. They were perfect, Sasuke noted, and felt relieved. He would be able to pass this course with flying colours, as long as she was around. He watched as Hinata piled the cookies in a neat pattern on the plate, and recalled what Naruto had said at lunch, feeling a strange sensation of rage in his chest.

Even if he _was _drunk, Hinata was the first girl he'd liked, and definitely the first girl he'd kissed. He imagined trying it with another girl, and it just wasn't as appealing. Then he thought of Naruto kissing Hinata, and his nostrils flared.

Things really were starting to get interesting.

* * *

><p>Forgetting about Sasuke and the kiss he'd planted on her was only getting harder for Hinata, as she discovered that their shifts at work were virtually identical.<p>

The past week at school had been rough for her. Dealing with Sakura's depression, tolerating Sasuke, and coping with the idea of Naruto not liking her made her relieved to see the weekend. She had Friday off work, and spent it in her room, reading, doing homework and watching T.V; anything that would keep her mind away from the drama.

It was now Saturday, and as usual, Hinata found herself working alongside the Uchiha. They only spoke about necessary, work related topics when they had to, and exchanged awkward glances as they passed one another in the restaurant.

Hinata was exhausted. She had stayed up too late watching a movie the night before. By the time her shift was over, she was happy. It was around five when she clocked out. She said goodbye to her co-workers and avoided contact with the Uchiha, who was still on the clock. As she left the restaurant, she was surprised to see Naruto was standing out front. She hadn't uttered a word to him since the events of the preceding Friday. He was sitting on a bench, looking around nervously, and stood up upon seeing her with a warm grin.

"Hinata, hey," Naruto said bashfully.

"Naruto," she responded with a hand on her chest. "U-Um, what's up?"

"Well, I actually wanted to ask you something."

Her chest leapt, and she weakly nodded. She figured it would be something about Sakura, which only added to her complete shock when he asked, "So, uh, well I was wondering, maybe if you wanted to go out some time?"

Hinata's face flashed a million shades of pink as she stammered over random syllables. "I-I, well, yes, of course," she nodded, disbelief still lacing her voice. This was completely out of no where, but Hinata had dreamed about the moment for years; the day Naruto finally took notice to her.

"Great!" he exclaimed. "How about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" she trailed off. "Yes, tomorrow works for me. I don't have to work."

"Awesome," the blond rubbed the back of his head, grinning like a mad man. Hinata's heart had only raced faster in one other moment. "Well, I'll pick you up tomorrow then, say, five?"

She nodded ecstatically. "S-Sure!"

"Okay, cool, well I'll see you then," he said, and she smiled at him once more before he took off towards the exit. Hinata was frozen in place for several moments as she collected herself.

_Did that really just happen? Am I dreaming?_

To Sasuke's chagrin, she was not. He had watched the seen unfold from inside the restaurant, the way Naruto had smiled like an idiot and Hinata had bobbed her head way too eagerly. His pale face began to redden. He thought he'd talked Naruto out of his plan to ask out Hinata, but evidently, he had been mislead.

Sasuke knew it was irrational to feel betrayed. Afterall, Naruto had no idea about his obscure affection towards Hinata, or the kiss they shared. He also had no obligation to inform Sasuke of every aspect of his life. Still, he had no control over the jealousy he felt.

He spent the rest of his shift festering on it, and trying to decipher himself why he cared so much. _So we kissed once, so what, _he thought, angrily cleaning up a spill in the kitchen. _Clearly it meant nothing to her. Definitely doesn't mean anything to me. _

He chucked the bag of garbage he had just cleaned up into the trash can, accidentally knocking it over.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I'm the worst, I know. It's been several months since I last updated this story. I'm so sorry! I had major writers block with it, because originally, I didn't have much of a plan for the course of this story. I now have a more clear idea of where it's going, and what will be in chapters to come... Therefore, more frequent updates. :D

Thank you to all of you who reviewed the last chapter, and I apologize again for my lack of consistency. That being said, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and it would be great if you could leave a review! :D I know it's been a while, so I hope I didn't disappoint anyone with this chapter.

The next one will be out WAY sooner, likely within a few weeks, because I'm already working on it. :)

**Please review!**


	4. The Bitter Pill

**The Chaos Complexion**

* * *

><p><strong><em>chapter four; <em>**_the bitter pill_

* * *

><p>Sakura sat in her bed, surrounded by fluffy pillows as she flipped through the pages of her notebook. <em>I'm such a cliché, <em>she sadly chuckled to herself, running her finger over the pencil on the page. It was a pink notebook from her ninth grade year, where she had written Sasuke's name in a giant heart. She remembered the moment clearly, in her ninth grade geography class, her first class with him. Her affections for him grew immediately. He was always a conundrum, difficult to predict and impossible to cipher, which made him so intriguing. She sighed longingly and closed the book, tossing it to the side.

She heard a knock at her door, and with a sigh, threw her feet over the edge of the bed and forced herself up. Hinata was waiting on the other side with a basket of brownies.

"Hey, come on in," Sakura said drearily. Hinata stepped inside and sat on her bed.

"How are you doing?" she queried.

"Meh." Sakura sat herself in her purple beanbag chair. "I need a movie night."

"That's what I'm here for," Hinata simpered. She kept her calm, but inside, was bursting with excitement to tell Sakura the news. They talked for a while, before Sakura dug into the brownies. Hinata didn't have the heart to tell her that Sasuke was the one to help make them. So far, Sakura had no clue that Hinata had been partnered up for him in Home Ec; it just wasn't the right time.

Sakura seemed content as she ate the brownies, so Hinata took a deep breath and said, "I actually have some good news, on my part, if you'd like to hear it."

"Of course!" Sakura exclaimed with a mouth full of chocolate. "I know I've been completely lame all week. I hope I haven't brought you down too much, Hina."

"No, you haven't," she grinned. "Well, after my shift today, Naruto visited me at the mall." Sakura stared at her friend expectingly, before Hinata confessed. "He asked me on a date."

Sakura's jaw dropped, followed by a jump for joy and an exclamation. "Hell yeah, Hinata! It's about damn time!"

"I know..." Hinata trailed off, flushing. She pushed her index fingers together. "It was really sweet."

Sakura sat back down. "Well, I'm glad he finally came to his senses. You're the girl for him, not me," she laughed. "I'm happy for you, really."

"Thanks," Hinata smiled, though Sakura's words inadvertently stung. She had been so deluded from the excitement of Naruto actually asking her out, that she'd forgotten that only a week ago, he had confessed to Sakura his feelings for _her_. Almost instantaneously, Hinata's smile fell.

_Oh no, _she thought darkly. _I'm a rebound. _

She shook her head of the thoughts. Rebound or not, she had wished for this for years, so it had to be a good thing.

_Right?_

Sakura let out a long, exhausted sigh. "Maybe there's still hope for Sasuke and I," she said ardently. "But I think I'm past getting my hopes up."

"Y-Yeah," was all Hinata managed to stutter.

* * *

><p>Sasuke's alarm was blaring, yet he did not budge. He laid in his bed, simply staring at the ceiling as the abrasive sound of his alarm clock rung. Eventually, he flopped his arm to the side and turned it off, still keeping his eyes clued to the stucco above his head.<p>

_What the hell is wrong with me, _he asked himself. Naruto had messaged him the night before, explaining his plans to take Hinata out, and Sasuke had been too enraged to even respond. He'd spent a good majority of his time trying to figure out why he was so bothered by it. He didn't even date, he'd made that decision long ago, but the idea of his best friend having the girl he shared his first kiss with was nauseating, and as much as he told himself that it didn't matter, he kept winding up on the topic again.

He picked up his phone and typed in her name on Facebook. Unlike Sakura, who had been posting depressing song lyrics all week, Hinata had nothing on her page other than a few comments from friends and old photos her family had tagged her in. He clicked on her profile picture and began scrolling through them. In every photo, Hinata was either with Sakura, or with her family. She never took a picture of herself. He stopped on a photo of her and her cousin beside a Christmas tree. Hinata wore a tacky red sweater and a toothy smile with jolly red cheeks. Sasuke grumbled and tossed his phone to the side.

_So, I like her, _he admitted to himself. _She's clearly not interested, so it's completely irrelevant. _

Sasuke festered for a few more minutes, before finally dragging himself out of bed. It was going to be a long day at work, but at least he didn't have to see her.

* * *

><p>After a much needed sleep and a pep talk from Sakura, Hinata was once again thrilled for her date with Naruto. Above all, however, she was apprehensive. Her friend had assisted in cooling the anxiety, but her knees still trembled as she waited for that fateful ring of her doorbell.<p>

When Naruto arrived, Hinata was still unprepared. It was awkward, for both of them, and the walk to the mall had been tense. Naruto talked a lot when he was nervous, whereas Hinata could hardly choke out a word at all.

"You look great, by the way," Naruto told her, just as they entered to the building. It wasn't Hinata's ideal destination, as she was there almost every day of the week, but she made no objection.

"Thanks," she murmured sheepishly.

"To be honest with ya, I've never been on a date before," he admitted.

"Um, well neither have I."

"So I was thinking, we could go somewhere familiar!" He flashed her a toothy grin. "Besides, I've been itching to have Sasuke as my waiter. I can't wait to see his face!" he laughed wholeheartedly, and Hinata sweat-dropped.

"Y-You mean... The Chopstick House?"

"Yep!"

"But... I work there."

"Yeah, and the food is great!" Only then did Hinata realize that Naruto had been leading her there the entire time. At that point, there was no backing out without being assertive, and that was far from her forte. Instead, she followed behind Naruto so he was ignorant to her childlike pout.

* * *

><p>Adding to Sasuke's vexation, he had been dealing with a particularly difficult customer. He was in the kitchen, explaining to the cook the specific details of the woman's order. He sighed in exasperation as he went out into the dining area, where he noticed a new couple had just been seated by the host, Sai.<p>

He would never be able to mistake the spiky blond hair of his self-proclaimed best friend, wearing a burgundy dress shirt, followed by a short girl with long navy hair in a lilac blouse. His initial notion that his day wasn't going to get worse was entirely unsound. His boss, Kurenai, waved at him to serve them. If he didn't truly need that job, he would have thrown his notebook at her and walked right out. In lieu, he took a deep breath and stiffly stepped over to their booth.

Naruto and Hinata hadn't noticed him. He was telling a story, when Sasuke appeared before them.

"Good afternoon," he voiced sarcastically. Naruto looked up at him and scanned his uniform; he wore black pants with a dress shirt to match, that held a crimson handkerchief in the breast pocket. Naruto burst out in a fit of laughter, while Hinata remained but a pale statue. Alternative to her regular blushing and fidgety behaviour, her skin was almost green.

"Hahaha!" Naruto bellowed, slapping his knee. "Love the outfit, Sasuke!"

His eyebrow twitched. "Let's just get this over with. Drinks?"

"I'll have an iced tea," Naruto said, "with two and a half iced cubes."

"Two and a half? Really?" Sasuke exhaled, in a forsaken attempt to save face.

"Yeah," sniggered the blond, "I'm very particular on the perfect amount of ice in my drink, ya know?"

Sasuke rolled his dark orbs, before landing them on Hinata. "What about you?" When the girl said nothing, he cleared his throat. "Hinata. What do you want to drink?"

"O-Oh," she snapped out of her trance. "Just water. Please."

"I'll be back in a minute," Sasuke spoke through a long, irked breath, and disappeared from the table.

Naruto turned to Hinata and laughed with good nature. She blushed, her mind lost in scrutiny. This was, to say the least, not at all what she'd foreseen her first date with Naruto being like. She'd always fantasized about a romantic dinner and a fancy restaurant she'd never seen before. She imagined her and Naruto laughing and getting to know each other, but she was hardly speaking, while he bantered on about how hilarious it was to have Sasuke as his server. Hinata wasn't finding it so amusing.

She brought her attention to the menu, even though she already knew what she wanted. Sasuke returned after a few minutes with a tray holding two glasses.

"Iced tea," he said, shooting Naruto daggers, "with _two and a half _cubes of ice." He set down the cups with the corresponding customer.

"You actually did it?" Naruto chuckled, observing the cup the half cube.

"No, the girl making the drinks, did," Sasuke informed. "So, have you figured out what you want to eat yet or what?"

Naruto smirked evilly, receiving only the worst of grimaces from his friend. "All right, all right," he chortled. "I'll just get a cheese burger and fries. Nothing weird about it."

"Good." Sasuke jotted it down on his booklet, and looked to Hinata, who's head still seemed to be up in space. "And you?"

"U-Um," she mumbled. "Just the garden salad, please."

"Oh-kay," Sasuke nodded, wrote it down, and left with haste.

Hinata swirled her iced cubes around with her straw. For reasons unknown to her, she felt guilty for being there with Naruto while Sasuke was working. _I doubt it's hurting his feelings, _she thought to herself, but was still ridden with uncertainty, like she had just swallowed a bitter pill.

"So, how's school going?" Naruto asked. He was nervous. Hinata was difficult to talk to because she was so shy, which unwittingly brought him back to Sakura. He felt like a jerk, because Hinata really wasn't the one he wanted to be on a date with.

"It's going well," she cheeped. "How about you?"

"Not so great," he admitted. "I'm already failing a few classes."

"That's not good," she said.

"Yeah, I suck at Math and Science. The only class I'm doing well in is Fitness, and I'm getting by in History." He laughed restlessly. "Schools never been my, um, what is it... Forte."

"I see..." she trailed off. "If you ever need any help with Math, let me know."

"I might have to take you up on that. I've always just copied off Sasuke, but he's not letting me copy anything of his at all this year!"

From across the restaurant, Sasuke watched Hinata giggle. He glowered at them, pissed off that Naruto would bring her there, of all places. _Why would he wanna bring a girl to her own work on a first date, anyway?_

Sasuke's reverie was intercepted as Kurenai snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"Hey, Sasuke, their food is almost ready," she said. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing," he grumbled, taking off to the kitchen. Kurenai followed.

"So, who's the guy with Hinata?" she inquired. "That the guy she used to always talk about?"

"Naruto," Sasuke responded, nonchalantly picking up plates and setting them on a tray.

"Yeah, that's his name." Kurenai leaned over the bar and caught a glimpse of them. "I figured she was over the guy. She hasn't brought him up in a while."

"Guess she isn't," Sasuke responded bitterly, breezing past his boss with the tray of food. When he gave Naruto and Hinata their dishes, he walked away before the blond could poke fun at him any more.

Hinata mostly poked at her salad, while Naruto practically inhaled his food. The girl had predominantly lost her appetite. Sincerely, she just wished for the day to end. When they were done eating, Sasuke returned to ask if they wanted dessert. Hinata declined, while Naruto ordered some fancy cake. She wanted to sigh, but resisted. Thankfully, Naruto scarfed down the cake in no time.

They paid, at last, concluding the date. At least when they were away from Sasuke's sight, she was able to think without seeing his face.

"Thank you for lunch," Hinata simpered, as her and Naruto exited the mall.

"No problem," he said. "I uh, I had a good time."

"Me too."

He walked her home, in silence for the most part, which was awkward. When they arrived at her door, they faced each other, both blushing.

"Well, I'll see ya at school tomorrow, I guess," Naruto chuckled, and she nodded.

"R-Right." They stood in silence for a moment, before she opened her front door. "Bye," she peeped, shutting it behind her. She pressed her back against the wood and alleviated herself from a major sigh.

"Uh, what's up?" her cousin, Neji, inquired, casually leaning against he door frame to the kitchen with a bowl of cereal.

"Nothing," Hinata muttered. She took off her shoes and put them neatly on the shoe rack. The Hyuga family was wealthy, so they lived in a clean, high class mansion. With her shoulders slumped, Hinata headed towards the winding stair case. Neji watched her with a twisted expression until she disappeared.

In her room, Hinata changed immediately. She put on pajamas and removed the make-up from her face. It didn't show, but she was damn happy to be home. She took out her laptop and started doing homework.

Sure, Naruto was cute, funny, and he did make her smile. _But gosh, _she thought, _that was an awkward date._

Hinata was doing some research, when a _beep _sound signalled that she had received a message on Facebook. She opened the browser to see it was from her best friend.

_"Hey, how was the date!?" _Sakura asked.

_"It was okay," _Hinata typed after a short reticence.

_"Just okay?"_

_"Well, I was really nervous, and he took me to my work... But he ended up saying that he had a good time, so..."_

It took a few moments for Sakura to respond. Hinata watched the screen until the message popped up.

_"He took you to your work for a first date? That's kind of bizarre. Was Sasuke working?"_

_"Yeah, he served our table."_

_"Awkward!" _

_"Kind of."_

Sakura typed something else, but another message popped up beside hers. Sasuke Uchiha. Hinata's palms grew sweaty as she contemplated whether or not to even open it. In the end, curiosity prevailed.

_"How was the date?" _Sasuke questioned.

_"Pretty good, thanks," _Hinata responded, and that was it. He saw the message, but she never got another reply.

* * *

><p>Hinata had never skipped a class in her life, but come Monday morning, she was certainly tempted to. She tried to lie to her father about sickness, but he wasn't buying it. She knew it was hopeless. The only time Hinata had ever missed school was if she was vomiting, or had an important appointment.<p>

So, she went to first period and prayed for the best. Maybe, Naruto and Sasuke both wouldn't show up, but that was rather outlandish. Predictably, they were both in class, sitting in their usual seats. Hinata got through the day by keeping to herself and studying in the library all through lunch.

Fifth period rolled around, and her partner was no where to be seen. She waited for him for fifteen minutes, before she continued the days project alone. _He was here earlier, _Hinata noted, as she poured batter into a pan. _Maybe he's sick..._

Through the small window in the doorway, she could have sworn she spotted a head of black hair quickly rushing past.

* * *

><p>"Hinata, I'm gunna need you to close without me tonight," Kurenai said to the girl in private. It was about an hour before close, and business was dying down. The boss reached into the pocket of her apron and handed Hinata a key. "You're my most trusted employee, and there's kind of been a family emergency. Don't worry about the book keeping, I've asked Sai to handle it."<p>

Hinata grinned warmly and accepted the key. "Sure, of course, Kurenai."

"You're a life saver." The woman winked, before speeding off, out of the restaurant. Hinata was curious, but knew not to ask questions. She was perfectly capable of closing up the place, anyway.

There were no more customers, so the cooks closed up the kitchen early. Hinata was doing her usual duty of sweeping up the floor, while Ino cleaned the dining area and Sasuke wiped down the prep station. Sai stood at the front of the kitchen, calculating numbers. Most of the staff took Kurenai not being there as an excuse to leave early. Hinata, on the other hand, stayed for as long as she needed to. She was somewhat of a perfectionist, and wasn't willing to leave even a scrap on the floor for her boss to see the next day.

At last, Hinata finished her job and went to her locker. It took her a moment to notice that she was not alone.

"Hey," Sasuke said. It was the first word they'd exchanged that day.

"Hey," she peeped, focusing on pulling her jacket from her locker. "You weren't in Home Ec today."

"Yep," he responded with apathy.

In spite of all ineptitude, Hinata turned to face him. "I could have used your help."

"You usually don't need it," he stated matter-of-factly. Hinata ignored him, sliding her bare arms into the jacket. Soon, she would need to start bringing sweaters and pants to work, as the mild weather was almost completely gone by night fall. It was going to be a cold walk home. When the girl tried to breeze past Sasuke, he stopped her by gently grabbing her wrist.

"What are you doing?" she queried with offence, pulling away.

"Just wait." Their eyes met. "Just let me try something, if anything, to find out if I'm totally crazy." He took another step closer, until their bodies were nearly touching. Hinata's breathing became shallow, but she could not look away from the brooding gaze that bound her in her place. He smacked his lips as he lightly touched the side of her face, asking permission to proceed. Her eyes fluttered, looking at his lips, and she could hardly process the lustfulness brewing in her chest. Sasuke cupped both her cheeks, and slowly, he placed a kiss on her lips.

They both exhaled, relaxing onto each other. She should have pulled away and slapped him with conniption, but she didn't want to. He pulled her body onto his, supporting her back with his hand as their kiss grew more heated and their tongues became involved. She gripped the collar of his shirt, and he unintentionally brought their intertwined bodies to the kitchen. He lifted her up by her hips and set her down on the prep station. Hinata had lost all sanctity and wrapped her legs around him.

He gripped the back of her skull, and with his free hand, felt along her slim ribcage, stopping below her breast. He pulled away and they both panted. He ran his thumb across her wet lips.

"So I'm not crazy," he smirked, kissing her once more.

"We can't do this," Hinata breathed, placing her hands on his chest. She pushed him away slightly so she could meet his curious eyes. Her chest still heaved with ecstasy, and as much as she longed to continue the unearthly act, she retreated when he tried again. He stepped back and allowed her to get off the counter.

"I can't," she repeated, her voice now shaking. She rushed to grab her belongings and skittered out of the kitchen, leaving Sasuke to define the play himself.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **This is the first time in ages I've come out with another chapter of a story within twenty-four hours. Wowza! Idk, I just felt inspired to write this.

Thank you all so much for the awesome reviews. I didn't need much time to write this chapter, so I'm a bit worried that it's mediocre haha. Please let me know what you think in a review. :'D

**ALSO, **I know that the last two chapters have mainly been Hinata-centric. I'm going to be focusing more on Sasuke next time.

Expect another update within the next new days. :3

**Please review!**


	5. The Inevitable

**The Chaos Complexion**

* * *

><p><em><strong>chapter five; <strong>the inevitable_

* * *

><p>Sasuke had to give Hinata some credit; she did a damn good job at ignoring his existence.<p>

In first period, she acted like a drone. When he looked at her, he just _knew _she could feel his gaze, but she didn't so much as glance away from the lecture. When the bell rang, she might as well have teleported from the room. Even the oblivious Sakura was taken back by the girl's hasty behavior, invoking her to speak with Naruto.

"What's up with Hinata?" she had asked him, and Naruto looked to her in shock, expecting another awkward day to go pass where Sakura ignored his existence.

"U-Uh, well, I dunno."

The pink haired girl collected her books as the others did the same. "I know you guys went out the other day," she said. "Did something happen?"

"Well, we haven't really talked to each other since." Naruto rubbed his neck. "It was kind of an awkward date, I'm not gunna lie."

"Oh, boy," Sakura sighed, before raising her eyebrows at Naruto and exiting the room. Sasuke was still stuffing his books into his bag.

"So the date was awkward, huh?" he spoke felicitously.

"Uh-huh," Naruto nodded. "I tried to tell ya, but you've been ignoring my messages."

Sasuke slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Just been busy with work," he lied. The two friends left the room, side by side. "So, why was it awkward?" he queried as they walked down the crowded hallway.

"Hinata and I aren't very alike," Naruto conceded. "I was rambling a lot. I had to fill the silence with something! She's so quiet."

"Well, I don't think that's a bad thing." He recalled the feeling of her lips on his, and resisted a smirk.

"It's not _bad, _I just think she's uncomfortable talking to me."

"Maybe she is."

The two left the school towards the smoke pit. Sasuke lit a cigarette and turned to Naruto, who waved his hand over his face to divert the stench.

"It wasn't bad, though," he continued. "So I'm probably gunna ask her out again. It couldn't hurt, right?"

Sasuke didn't respond as he inhaled, staring off in the distance. After last night, would she go out with Naruto again? Did she even want to? He had no clue, but judging by her reaction to his kiss, his strange feelings for her were not completely one-sided. Still, Sasuke did not want Naruto to take her out again. Ever. He contemplated telling Naruto the truth right there, that _he_ wanted her, that_ he'd _been the one to kiss her, and that the feeling might be mutual. There was just one other problem.

Sakura.

Naruto had a big mouth, anyone who'd ever met him knew that, so Sasuke had no doubt in his mind that if he told his friend about his exchange with Hinata, he'd slip up and tell Sakura eventually, thus ruining the friendship. If it got to that point, Hinata would _definitely _not want anything to do with him, and he just couldn't have that. Then, maybe he'd never know what would happen if they had just least by keeping it a secret, he had a small chance in hell.

* * *

><p>Sasuke watched the clock tick by as his teacher conducted the day's lesson. It was all he could focus on; the clock, and the girl beside him. They were sitting too close for purity of mind; he could smell her, just the same as she'd smelled the night before when he'd had her up against the counter; of cucumber and flowers.<p>

Maybe lavender.

He nearly shuddered upon the memory of her small frame eagerly pressing onto his, and he glanced at her. His mouth was dry, so he reached into his bag and took out a bottle of water, greedily drinking from it. Unlike in first period, Hinata had looked at him, even if it was only once or twice.

She sat with her legs crossed. She was wearing a relaxed white shirt. He caught himself looking at her chest, but stopped himself there. The classroom wasn't the place for such thoughts. He forced himself to focus to the front of the room, just in time to see the teacher roll a huge bin out of a closet, containing... Babies?

_Oh shit, _Sasuke thought. The fabled baby project.

"So, each pair is going to be caring for one of these adorable little guys until next Monday!" Mei plucked a random doll from the bin and turned it on. It instantly began whining, and most of the class covered their ears. The woman giggled and used a key to shut it off. "Only I have the key," she winked, "so you won't be able to turn them off."

A girl raised her hand. "Um, so what do we do with it? Trade it each night?"

"The idea is to learn to care for a child _with _someone else," Mei explained. "But since it's unlikely either of your parents will want a week long sleepover, yes, you'll be trading them each day. Unfortunately, we don't have enough dolls to give to each person, so it's necessary for this to be a pair project. Plus, it's more realistic, if you ever plan on raising a baby with another person."

"But what about single parents?" Sasuke blurted out, and Hinata shot him a quizzical frown.

"Like I said, we don't have enough dolls, so couples it is." Mei informed, and Sasuke's brows knotted. The teacher found it amusing, especially because of him, he thought. Mei went around the room and passed a doll to each pair. When she stopped at Sasuke and Hinata's table, she turned on the baby and dropped it on Sasuke's lap. It started crying, and Hinata accidentally let out a giggle, receiving an annoyed look from him.

Sasuke held the baby up by it's arm and stared into it's creepy, glass eyes. "Weird," he said, before Hinata snatched it.

"Don't hold it like that," she mumbled. "We're supposed to treat it like it's a real baby." She cradled it in her arms, and Sasuke sent her a look that said _really?_

"So," Mei spoke over the sound of crying babies, clapping her hands together. Everyone lifted their heads. "If you can, try to sleep over at one or the other's house on the weekend. It will be fun! Pretend to be parents for a night or two, hmm? I'll be expecting a full report, including journals for each day, from each of you, by next Monday, understood?" With that, the woman returned to her desk and began grading papers, leaving her students to bicker.

Hinata looked at Sasuke. "I can handle this project," she said. "So don't worry about it."

"No." He snatched the baby from her, and it wailed. "It's my baby, too."

Once more, Hinata's need to giggle got the best of her. He tried to hold it the way she had, but failed when it continued to whine.

"Have you never held a baby?" Hinata inquired, taking it from him. She cradled the doll as if it were a real child. "Like this," she said, rocking it until it quieted down. Sasuke took the baby from her, handling it with gentle care, and she smiled in approval. That is, until he grabbed it by it's foot and dangled it upside down. Once again, another crying doll helped turn the room into a screaming nursery.

The rest of the period went by quickly. Hinata attempted to teach Sasuke how to properly care for the baby, but it was impossible for him to take seriously.

"It's just a stupid doll," he said.

"It might just be a doll, but it cries like a baby, so you need to know how to care for it unless it want it keeping you up all night."

"I hardly sleep, anyway," he muttered, and her eyes lingered on him for longer than appropriate before she turned away. When the bell rang, and everyone readied to leave, Mei stopped the class by making an announcement.

"You should all be meeting up for at least an hour after class each day to document your thoughts. Remember, you're being graded for this."

The students nodded. Hinata left before Sasuke, but he managed to catch up to her in the hall, despite her attempt to swindle her way into blending with the crowd.

"Wait," he said, and she slowed the pace of her walking with an inward groan.

"Sasuke, you don't have to help with this, really," she sighed. "I'll even do your journals for you."

"Is that how badly you don't want to be around me?"

Her eyes flickered. Why did he have to use such a challenging tone of voice? She pushed the baby into his arms. It started crying, bringing nearly all eyes on them. Hinata's face turned red. Right. She still hadn't told Sakura that Sasuke was her partner, and she knew very well how the hallways worked.

"I'll come over later, okay?" she hushed, and Sasuke noted how uncharacteristically emphatic she was acting. She was, in her own way, charming when she was flustered. He watched as she snaked her way through the crowd, eventually disappearing.

* * *

><p>"So," Sasuke began, peering at her through thick rimmed glasses. Hinata didn't know he wore contacts, and admitted only to herself that the spectacles added a certain star quality to him. "Naruto said he's planning on asking you out again." He was unaware of the cynicism lacing his voice.<p>

Hinata's head snapped to him. He was seated on the floor, while she was on the couch, using his coffee table as a desk. "You didn't-"

"Relax, princess," he almost snorted. "I didn't tell him anything."

She relaxed her shoulders, and focused on her writing for a few more moments before shyly lifting her head. "He really said that?"

Sasuke's eyes flared at hers. "I wasn't sure if you'd still be interested, after last night."

She blushed and hid her face with her bangs, right back into her diffident self. "A-About that," she muttered. Sasuke sat at attention. "It's... Not something that can happen again."

Sasuke looked back at his book and continued writing. "Is that really want you want?" he inquired as he casually swiped the pencil across his page. Hinata noticed that his hand writing was rather messy.

A lump grew in her throat as she contemplated a riposte. To say yes would be a lie, but to say no, would be hazardous. She went with nothing, hoping that he would drop it, but was foolish in believing so.

"I take your silence as a no," he said nonchalantly, dropping his pencil. He opened his mouth speak, when the crying doll saved her. Hinata jolted to her feet and cradled it until it stopped crying.

"You're pretty good with that thing," he noted. Hinata glowered at the derogatory term, before setting the baby down in the makeshift crib. She brought herself back over to the couch and sat down, crossing her legs.

"If he asks you, are you going to say yes?" Sasuke asked, thinking to himself that if she did, he would have to be done with her.

"Maybe," she responded. He glowered at her ambiguity.

"All right then."

The two worked in silence, until another thirty minutes passed. Hinata had been counting the time. One hour exactly, then she would leave. When the time came, she packed up her belongings and stood up to put on her coat. Sasuke walked her to the door.

"Guess I'll be seeing you," he said.

"Yeah," she grumbled. "Bye, Sasuke." She shut the door behind her, leaving him with a barren feeling of dejection. For once in his life, he felt like he needed a third party to give an opinion on what he should do. Naturally, his pride would never allow that.

He left his homework on the floor and sat on the couch where she had been. She left the smell of body mist behind, so he moved to the other side and started playing video games to keep his mind away from reality.

Belatedly, Sasuke withdrew himself from the couch to answer to the crying doll. He had put on headphones and blocked out the sound, but realizing that he was hungry, decided to deal with the problem. He cradled it the same way Hinata did, and eventually, it shut up. He contemplated throwing it out the window.

He left the living room and into his tiny kitchen. He lived in a bachelor apartment. His double bed was positioned in the same room as the living room, set up right behind the couch. In his kitchen, he had a sink, a stove and a small fridge. He had virtually no counter space, so a microwave was long out of the question. He put a pot of water on the stove. He longed for the day when his new job would finally provide him with enough money to get a better apartment; he'd been stuck in that once since he left the group home on his sixteenth birthday.

The city gave him an allowance, but when he turned seventeen, it was required of him to start working. At eighteen, he would receive no money from the government at all.

As he waited for it to boil, he leisurely leaned against the wall and took out his phone. On his Facebook feed, the first thing he saw was Hinata's face. She had changed her profile picture to a more recent one of her and Sakura. His eyes lingered on her, and he cursed himself for kissing her the night of Ino's party. He was far better off before he knew her. He grunted to himself, irritated, before he pressed the _like _button and put his phone away.

* * *

><p><em>Sasuke Uchiha likes this. <em>

It stil felt so weird to see his name across her screen. She was oddly flattered that he had 'liked' her picture, because not many people ever did. Sakura could receive dozens, whereas Hinata was lucky if she got six. Then again, she didn't bother much with posting online, because it all seemed so trivial. She wasn't able to explain the ludicrous butterflies she felt from seeing him acknowledge her online.

For Sakura's sake, she shoved it to the back of her mind and tried to focus it elsewhere. She was in her room, wearing a cozy housecoat and sat on her laptop, idly browsing art on the internet. Naruto's name popped up on one of her tabs, and she clicked it, revealing his message to her.

They'd hardly exchanged a word since their 'date', so Hinata was hesitant to open it.

_"Hey, what's up?" _it read.

_"Nothing much, you?" _she replied after a moment. Her chest trembled as she awaited his response. If what Sasuke said was true, then Naruto was planning on taking her out again. What Hinata knew should have made her giddy with excitement was now littered with penitence.

_"I was wondering if you wanted to go out again this weekend? We could see a movie!"_

Hinata gulped, recalling Sasuke's words. _"I didn't think you'd still be interested, after last night." _He was right. Anxiety filled her heart. She had been interested in Naruto for so long, yet only the night before, it was Sasuke who had her lips, who had her legs wrapped around him; and it was after her first date with Naruto.

_Does that constitute as cheating? _

She shook her head. No, Naruto had not asked her to be his girlfriend, so in hindsight, the only person she'd wronged was Sakura. Still, she felt like it was just too soon for a second date, so she typed, _"I'm sorry, Naruto, but I have some family business all weekend. Perhaps we could reschedule."_

_"That's cool, no worries," _he said, and she sent him a smiley face, leaving it at that.

* * *

><p>The hallways were almost entirely bare as Hinata walked to class. She was half an hour early. Since she'd neglected her math homework from the previous night, she intended to sit in class and finish it up. She stopped by the cafeteria to grab a coffee, and on her way to her room, she could have sworn she heard a faint crying sound coming from a nearby locker. She stopped in the hall and turned around, taking a few steps back to the origin of the noise.<p>

She was right. The familiar sound of a baby doll whining came out of a locker. _This couldn't be Sasuke's locker, _she thought, dismissing the idea. There was no way he'd have come to school early enough to ditch the baby in the locker, so she continued on her way. The light in the classroom was off. She opened the door, flicked on the light, and her eyes immediately landed at the back of the room, where a dark haired boy had his head resting on his desk.

She cautiously approached him. Sasuke was sound asleep, using his arms as a pillow. Hinata lightly touched his shoulder, and he immediately sprung up, startling her. It took Sasuke a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the light. He wasn't expecting to see Hinata hovering over him with a concerned expression.

"Sasuke," she said. "Are you all right?"

He let out a yawn and slicked back his hair. "That stupid doll woke me up and six a.m," he grumbled, and she sighed, taking her seat beside him.

"So that was our doll in the locker."

"Yep," he sneered, mentally cursing the inanimate object.

"Give it to me after class. I'll take care of it for the rest of the week."

"Fine," he agreed bitterly. He hated to admit defeat, but he just did not have the patience to deal with such a stupid thing. Hinata placed her unopened coffee on his desk, and he looked to her quizzically. "What's this for?"

"You need it more than I do." She simpered. She was right, he did need it, so he greedily chugged some of it and uttered an inaudible 'thank you'. Hinata began to silently work, while Sasuke browsed his cell phone. He wasn't fully there. The sound of the doll crying had intercepted a dream he was having, fueling it into a nightmare. He never wanted to see that damn doll again.

Sasuke put on his glasses and began reading. The two were quiet, until people started to show up for class. Sakura took her seat on the other side of Hinata, nodding at her friend, and to Sasuke, who didn't respond.

"Nice glasses, Sasuke," Sakura chimed sweetly, speaking to him for the first time since Ino's party.

"I hate them," he responded, keeping his eyes glued to his book. He flipped a page. "I'm only wearing them because I need new contacts."

"Oh," the pink haired girl said. "I didn't know you wore contacts."

"You don't know much about me at all," he muttered. Hinata looked at him with detest. "What?" he asked.

"Why do you have to be like that?" she inquired out of frustration, and Sasuke didn't answer.

"It's okay, Hinata," Sakura whispered to her friend. Hinata shook her head.

"He doesn't need to talk to you like that," she hushed back.

"I can still hear you," Sasuke announced, and Hinata blushed, this time, out of animosity over timidness. Sasuke grinned, though his gaze stayed put on the paper.

* * *

><p>"What was up with you this morning?" Sakura interrogated, as her and Hinata left the cafeteria at lunch.<p>

"What do you mean?" she replied modestly, cradling the baby doll that Sasuke had returned to her in private after first period.

"Well, you kind of, stood up to Sasuke," Sakura blurted. "I've only seen Naruto and teachers tell him off."

"I didn't really tell him off," she insisted. "I just... I don't think it's right, the way he talks to some people."

"That's just part of his charm." Sakura sighed. "So, how are things with Naruto?"

"Well... He asked me on another date."

"That's great! Where are you going?" Hinata's face flushed, and Sakura eyed her suspiciously. "Wait... You didn't say no, did you? Because of the last date?"

"Y-Yeah," she stammered.

"But you've liked him forever. Did something change?"

"No," Hinata faltered on the lie. Of course something had changed. She'd _kissed _Sasuke, and no one knew but the two of them. They turned the corner, incidentally bumping into the devils themselves.

"O-Oof," Naruto sounded as he crashed into Sakura. Hinata was quick to avoid doing the same to Sasuke.

"Oh, hey," Sakura fumbled to her feet and reverted to the safety beside Hinata.

"What's up, guys?" Naruto asked, innocently, as always. Both of the girls blushed, unknowingly for the same reason. It wasn't the bumbling blonde, but the brooding Uchiha who's intense presence was looming.

"Not much," Sakura hesitantly responded, while Hinata floundered. "You?"

"I have a detention for skipping the other day," Sasuke said, before taking an abrupt exit. Naruto grimaced as his friend left him with the two girls, who weren't exactly rejoicing, either.

"So," Naruto awkwardly laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"We'll catch you later, Naruto," Sakura said, attempting to push past him. He stepped in front of her.

"Hold up. Sakura, can we just talk for a few minutes?"

Sakura exchanged a look of uncertainty with Hinata, who nodded at her.

"It's okay, Sakura. I'll meet you in the library."

"All right then," she spoke through an exasperated breath. Hinata skittered away to the nearest stairwell. She crashed through the doors, and in the corner of the room, Sasuke lifted his head from the book he was reading. He was sitting on the ground with his legs crossed and he peered at her through his glasses. Hinata didn't notice him. He contemplated letting her leave, but quickly decided against it when he saw her rushing for the stairs.

"Hey, wait up," he said. Hinata was part way up the stairs and looked behind with dread.

"S-Sasuke," she stammered. "I thought you had detention?"

"As if I would actually go," he declared. Reluctantly, Hinata walked back to ground level and faced him. The baby doll started crying, so she hushed it before meeting Sasuke's eyes.

"Are you coming over after school?"

"I can do your journals for you."

Sasuke walked back over to the corner, where his backpack and book were sitting. Hinata followed, and he leaned against the wall, staring at her oddly. For a moment, his eye brows furrowed, and he looked away from her.

"You should come over after school," he muttered. "That's what the teacher said."

_But you don't listen to teachers, _she thought, cradling the doll so it would stay hushed. "It's fine, really. I don't mind doing both-"

"I mind," he cut her off. "It's my mark. I'll do my own work. I just don't want to deal with the doll all night."

"Okay," she nodded. Her voice shook. "Well, okay, I'll have a bit of time before work..."

"Same here."

"Then I'll be over shortly after school."

"See you then."

"R-Right. Bye." She immediately teetered away, her heart thudding, leaving Sasuke feeling similar. He watched her until she disappeared up the stairs. _What the hell am I doing? _he asked himself. Allowing Hinata to do his journals would increase his mark for zero charge, but it would also take away his excuse to have her in his apartment. He groaned. Feelings were unpleasant.

* * *

><p>The silence in the room was deafening. Sasuke almost wished that the doll would cry, just to give his ears something to listen to other than the ticking of his clock. He and Hinata had hardly uttered a word to one another since she arrived. She was already wearing her work uniform; a black skirt and a sleeveless shirt that came up to her neck. She also wore a sweater and black tights, as the weather was getting too cold for bare skin. Sasuke thought that she looked different at work; while at school, she almost always covered all her skin, it was sort of necessary to dress formally for the job. Sasuke didn't like it for himself, but she always looked good. He noticed it the first time he saw her wearing a tight dress the day he had his interview.<p>

He looked up at her. She was biting her pencil and reading over her notes.

"So," he began. She glanced at him. "It's cold. I'm probably catching a cab to work."

"Me too," she mumbled, bringing her eyes back to the page.

"Feel free to hop in mine," he said. "There's no point in us both taking different cabs if we're going to the same place."

"Okay," she peeped, laced with uncertainty, but he made a point.

"So what do we do with that?" He pointed at the doll, which was laying on the bed behind Hinata.

"I'll have to explain the project to Kurenai... I can keep the doll in my locker and check on it when we're not busy."

"Fair enough."

Hinata nodded and brought her attention to her notebook again, assuming that Sasuke was done speaking, but was wrong.

"So, Naruto asked you out again," he spoke casually. Hinata's shoulders froze.

"Y-Yeah, he did."

"And you said no."

"Mm," she nodded, clearly hoping he wouldn't continue. Sasuke wasn't typically one to respect others wishes.

"Why?"

Hinata dropped her pencil. "I'm just not ready for another date with him."

"So go out with me instead."

She jolted. "You... You can't be serious," she mumbled, turning away in an attempt to hide her red face. Sasuke was a bit taken back, himself. _That wasn't part of the plan, _he mentally cursed himself, but went with it, anyway.

"I am serious," he affirmed. When Hinata said nothing, refusing to meet his eyes, he sighed in exasperation. He checked his phone and saw that it was time for him to call a cab. He got up and left the room for a moment to dial the number. Once confirmed that the taxi was on the way, he returned to the living room to see Hinata frantically collecting her belongings.

Sasuke disappeared into the washroom, put on his uniform, and when he returned, she was waiting by the door, her face still hidden from embarrassment. Sasuke wouldn't show it, but he was embarrassed, too. With another prolonged sigh, he put on his shoes and opened the door for her, locking it behind them.

The ride down the elevator was tense, as expected. Before they left the building, where the cab was waiting, he stopped her.

"Just... Think about it," he said.

"Y-You know I can't," she mumbled.

"We don't have to tell anyone. Think about it." With that, he opened the door, allowing her passage.

Hinata's palms were sweating and her heart was racing. She'd be lying if she said she didn't have _some _interest in him, but it was all too much; as the car began to move, she found herself feeling sick. Sasuke saw her turning green; he had taken the passengers seat, while she sat in the back. He saw her face through the rear view mirror, visibly trying to hold down vomit.

"Hey, are you all right?" he inquired warily. Weakly, swallowing her nausea, she nodded. The feeling disappeared and she was safe, though Sasuke's proposal still lingered, leaving her stomach tingling. Her small affair with him had suddenly become real, and it was the notion that she might actually want to date him that was really making her feel so ill.

Sasuke felt like an idiot. Proposing such an idea so abruptly was far from his greatest tactic, not to mention the absurdity of it. _What ever happened to 'I don't date'? _He could practically hear the condescending voice of his brother in his head. It was Itachi who Sasuke had first confessed the idea to. He said it was stupid, that his little brother would date eventually before he graduated high school, but Sasuke denied it.

_"I have zero interest," _he had said. It wasn't a lie; before Hinata, he was indifferent to most girls, or they just flat out annoyed him, like Sakura did. As they pulled up to the mall, he exhaled. He'd watched other people's feelings destruct their lives, but now it was him who was faced with the complicated task of dealing with emotions.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I'm kind of a big fan of cliches sometimes, which is why I decided to include the baby project cliche. I found it fun :3 I hope you liked the chapter.

I will include what Sakura and Naruto talked about! It's just, they aren't the main pairing of the story, and I didn't feel like including their actual conversation in this chapter. It will come up in the next one, though.

**Please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter. **


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